Aurora Investment Counsel Sells 1,251 Shares of Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF)

Aurora Investment Counsel lowered its position in Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) by 9.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 12,065 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 1,251 shares during the period. Aurora Investment Counsel’s holdings in Cincinnati Financial were worth $1,734,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in CINF. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its holdings in Cincinnati Financial by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 3,378 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $460,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Simon Quick Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Cincinnati Financial by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 1,562 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. now owns 8,069 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,098,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 17,473 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,511,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in Cincinnati Financial by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 5,819 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $792,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.24% of the company’s stock.

Cincinnati Financial Stock Performance

Shares of CINF stock opened at $141.99 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $139.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $141.90. Cincinnati Financial Co. has a one year low of $109.93 and a one year high of $161.75. The stock has a market cap of $22.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.78, a P/E/G ratio of 8.30 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.31.

Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $3.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $1.24. Cincinnati Financial had a net margin of 20.22% and a return on equity of 9.01%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Cincinnati Financial Co. will post 5.36 EPS for the current year.

Cincinnati Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This is an increase from Cincinnati Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 24th. Cincinnati Financial’s payout ratio is currently 23.97%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on CINF shares. Roth Mkm increased their target price on shares of Cincinnati Financial from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Cincinnati Financial from $180.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.00.

Cincinnati Financial Company Profile

Cincinnati Financial Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides property casualty insurance products in the United States. It operates through five segments: Commercial Lines Insurance, Personal Lines Insurance, Excess and Surplus Lines Insurance, Life Insurance, and Investments. The Commercial Lines Insurance segment offers coverage for commercial casualty, commercial property, commercial auto, and workers' compensation.