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, /PRNewswire/ -- Cincinnati Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: CINF) announced that Marc J. Schambow, CPCU, AIM, ASLI, chief claims officer for its property casualty subsidiaries, led by The Cincinnati Insurance Company, will retire in January 2027.
Schambow has served as Cincinnati's top claims officer since 2020, capping a nearly 40-year career with the company. After serving agents and policyholders as a field claims representative in Wisconsin for nearly a decade, he moved to Ohio as a casualty claims supervisor in 1997. Schambow became the first claims manager for The Cincinnati Specialty Underwriters Insurance Company in 2007 and transitioned to lead the field claims team in 2014.
"Marc took the reins of our claims team during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic," commented Stephen M. Spray, president and chief executive officer. "We needed an experienced and steady leader and Marc delivered. He also worked to increase efficiencies and implement technology that boosted claims satisfaction. His talents are evident in the consistently high marks we receive from agents and policyholders about our claims service."
Todd V. McMillan, J.D., will assume executive responsibility for the headquarters and field claims teams upon Schambow's retirement. McMillan is an industry veteran with nearly 30 years of experience, most recently serving as corporate senior vice president, head of liability claims for Safety National Casualty Corporation. He started his career in private practice and then as staff counsel for GEICO before joining The Hartford in 2003 where he held a variety of claims leadership roles of increasing responsibility.
McMillan holds degrees from the University of Dayton and Widener University Law School. He also earned his Master of Laws in Insurance from the University of Connecticut School of Law.
As part of this transition, executive oversight of the company's claims operations will transition to Thomas C. Hogan, Esq., chief legal officer.
Spray continued: "Todd's deep understanding of complex claims as both a legal advisor and a claims professional make him the ideal candidate to lead our claims operations. He's also a proven communicator with a reputation for building collaborative teams. I'm confident he'll not only preserve – but enhance – our reputation as an industry-leading claims team that provides fast, fair and empathetic service.
"Tom began his career in field claims and has worked closely with our claims team throughout his career as counsel for our company. I believe aligning our claims and legal teams under his direction will improve coordination and lead to stronger outcomes on litigated claims for the company, our agents and our policyholders. Tom, Marc and Todd will work together to ensure a smooth transition."
About Cincinnati Financial
Cincinnati Financial Corporation offers primarily business, home and auto insurance through The Cincinnati Insurance Company and its two standard market property casualty companies. The same local independent insurance agencies that market those policies may offer products of our other subsidiaries, including life insurance, fixed annuities and surplus lines property and casualty insurance. For additional information about the company, please visit cinfin.com.
Mailing Address:
Street Address:
P.O. Box 145496
6200 South Gilmore Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45250-5496
Fairfield, Ohio 45014-5141
Safe Harbor Statement
Our business is subject to certain risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements contained herein, are based upon our current estimates, assumptions and plans that are subject to uncertainty. These statements are made subject to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words like "seek," "expect," "will," "should," "could," "might," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend," "likely," "future," or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they were made; we assume no obligation to update such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:
Insurance-Related Risks
Risks and uncertainties associated with our loss reserves or actual claim costs exceeding reserves Increased frequency and/or severity of claims or development of claims that are unforeseen at the time of policy issuance Unusually high levels of catastrophe losses due to risk concentrations or changes in weather patterns, environmental events, war or political unrest, terrorism incidents, cyberattacks, civil unrest or other causes; and our ability to manage catastrophe risk Risks associated with analytical models in key areas such as underwriting, pricing, capital management, reserving, investments, reinsurance, and catastrophe risk management Inadequate estimates or assumptions, or reliance on third-party data used for critical accounting estimates Events or conditions that could weaken or harm our relationships with our independent agencies and hamper opportunities to add new agencies, resulting in limitations on our opportunities for growth Mergers, acquisitions, and other consolidations of agencies that result in a concentration of a significant amount of premium in one agency or agency group and/or alter our competitive advantages Our inability to manage business opportunities, growth prospects, and expenses for our ongoing operations Changing consumer insurance-buying habits The inability to obtain adequate ceded reinsurance on acceptable terms, for acceptable amounts, and from financially strong reinsurers; and the potential for nonpayment or delay in payment by reinsurers Domestic and global events, such as the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East, future pandemics, inflationary trends, changes in U.S. trade and tariff policy, and disruptions in the banking and financial services industry, resulting in insurance losses, capital market or credit market uncertainty, followed by prolonged periods of economic instability or recession, that lead to: Securities market disruption or volatility and related effects such as decreased economic activity and continued supply chain disruptions that affect our investment portfolio and book value Significant or prolonged decline in the fair value of securities and impairment of the assets Significant decline in investment income due to reduced or eliminated dividend payouts from securities Significant rise in losses from surety or director and officer policies written for financial institutions or other insured entities or in losses from policies written by Cincinnati Re or Cincinnati Global An unusually high level of claims in our insurance or reinsurance operations that increase litigation-related expenses Decreased premium revenue and cash flow from disruption to our distribution channel of independent agents, consumer self-isolation, travel limitations, business restrictions and decreased economic activity The inability of our workforce, agencies, or vendors to perform necessary business functions Financial, Economic, and Investment Risks
Declines in overall stock market values negatively affecting our equity portfolio and book value Downgrades in our financial strength ratings Interest rate fluctuations or other factors that could significantly affect: Our ability to generate growth in investment income Values of our fixed-maturity investments and accounts in which we hold bank-owned life insurance contract assets Our traditional life policy reserves Economic volatility and illiquidity associated with our alternative investments in private equity, private credit, real property, and limited partnerships Failure to comply with covenants and other requirements under our credit facilities, senior debt, and other debt obligations Recession, prolonged elevated inflation, or other economic conditions resulting in lower demand for insurance products or increased payment delinquencies The inability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends consistent with current or past levels impacting our ability to pay shareholder dividends or repurchase shares General Business, Technology, and Operational Risks
Ineffective information technology systems or failing to develop and implement improvements in technology Difficulties with technology or data security breaches, including cyberattacks, could negatively affect our, or our agents', ability to conduct business; disrupt our relationships with agents, policyholders, and others; cause reputational damage, mitigation expenses, data loss, and expose us to liability Difficulties with our operations and technology that may negatively impact our ability to conduct business, including cloud-based data information storage, data security, remote working capabilities, and/or outsourcing relationships and third-party operations and data security Disruption of the insurance market caused by technology innovations – such as driverless cars – that could decrease consumer demand for insurance products Delays, inadequate data developed internally or from third parties, or performance inadequacies from ongoing development and implementation of underwriting and pricing models and methods, including usage-based insurance methods, automation, artificial intelligence, or technology projects and enhancements expected to increase our efficiency, pricing accuracy, underwriting profit, and competitiveness Intense competition, and the impact of innovation, emerging technologies, artificial intelligence and changing customer preferences on the insurance industry and the markets in which we operate, could harm our ability to maintain or increase our business volumes and profitability Inability to defer policy acquisition costs for any business segment if pricing and loss trends would lead management to conclude that the segment could not achieve sustainable profitability Unforeseen departure of certain executive officers or other key employees that could interrupt progress toward important strategic goals or diminish the effectiveness of certain longstanding relationships with insurance agents and others Our inability, or the inability of our independent agents, to attract and retain personnel Events, such as a pandemic, an epidemic, natural catastrophe, or terrorism, which could hamper our ability to assemble our workforce, work effectively in a remote environment, or other failures of business continuity or disaster recovery programs Regulatory, Compliance, and Legal Risks
Actions of insurance departments, state attorneys general or other regulatory agencies, including a change to a federal system of regulation from a state-based system, that: Impose new obligations on us that increase our expenses or change the assumptions underlying our critical accounting estimates Place the insurance industry under greater regulatory scrutiny or result in new statutes, rules, and regulations Restrict our ability to exit or reduce writings of unprofitable coverages or lines of business Increase assessments for guaranty funds, other insurance‑related assessments, or mandatory reinsurance arrangements; or that impair our ability to recover such assessments through future surcharges or other rate changes Increase our provision for federal income taxes due to changes in tax laws, regulations, or interpretations Increase other expenses Limit our ability to set fair, adequate, and reasonable rates Restrict our ability to cancel policies Impose new underwriting standards Place us at a disadvantage in the marketplace Restrict our ability to execute our business model, including the way we compensate agents Adverse outcomes from litigation, environmental claims, mass torts or administrative proceedings, including effects of social inflation and third-party litigation funding on the size and frequency of litigation awards Events or actions, including unauthorized intentional circumvention of controls, which reduce our future ability to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 Effects of changing social, global, economic, and regulatory environments Additional measures affecting corporate financial reporting and governance that can affect the market value of our common stock Risks and uncertainties are further discussed in other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our 2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K, Item 1A, Risk Factors, Page 30.
Dirk J. Debbink, Director of Cincinnati Financial Corporation (CINF -0.87%), purchased 1,000 shares in this filing, according to a recent SEC Form 4 filing.
Transaction summaryMetricValueShares purchased1,000Transaction value$171,640Post-transaction shares (indirectly held)62,059Post-transaction value$10.64 millionTransaction value based on SEC Form 4 weighted average purchase price ($171.64); post-transaction value based on Aug. 25, 2026, market close ($171.42).
Key questionsWhat does this transaction indicate about the insider's direct equity interest?
Debbink currently holds zero shares of common stock directly, with the total equity interest of 62,059 shares maintained indirectly through a trust.How does the purchase price compare to the market valuation?
The transaction was executed at $171.64 per share, while the stock was priced at $171.42 at the Aug. 25, 2026, market close.Are there any ongoing adjustments to the insider's reported holdings?
The reported position accounts for shares acquired through a quarterly dividend reinvestment plan, a facility in which the director is currently enrolled.What is the current market position of the company's shares?
As of the Aug. 26, 2026 market close, Cincinnati Financial was priced at $172.38, slightly above the director's execution price, and reflected a 12% return over the 12-month period ending on the transaction date.Company OverviewMetricValueShare Price (as of market close 2026-08-26)$172.38Market Capitalization$26.5 billionRevenue (TTM)$14.0 billionNet Income (TTM)$3.3 billionCompany SnapshotCincinnati Financial Corporation provides comprehensive property and casualty insurance solutions across the United States through five operational divisions: Commercial Lines, Personal Lines, Excess and Surplus Lines, Life Insurance, and Investments, generating revenue from premium income and investment returns.The company operates a diversified insurance business model that underwriters commercial casualty, property damage, vehicle incidents, and workers' compensation claims for businesses, while offering personal insurance products and life insurance coverage to individual consumers.Cincinnati Financial serves a broad customer base encompassing small to mid-sized businesses seeking commercial insurance protection and individual consumers purchasing personal and life insurance products across multiple U.S. markets.Cincinnati Financial Corporation is a substantial participant in the U.S. property and casualty insurance sector with $26.5 billion in market capitalization and $14.0 billion in TTM revenue. The company leverages a diversified portfolio spanning commercial and personal lines insurance, life insurance, and investment operations to generate consistent underwriting and investment income. With 5,705 employees and a strategic focus on underwriting discipline and risk management, Cincinnati Financial maintains a competitive position through its multi-line insurance platform and established distribution network across the United States.
What this transaction means for investorsSome insider transactions are complex; others are less so. For example, when an insider buys shares, they are placing their confidence in the stock. Nonetheless, investors shouldn't blindly follow insiders; it's best to review a company's fundamentals to ensure that it is a solid fit before adding it to a portfolio. With that in mind, let's have a closer look at Cincinnati Financial (CINF).
To begin, let's review CINF's stock performance. Since 2021, CINF has generated a total return of 58%, equating to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.6%. The S&P 500, meanwhile, has delivered an 82% total return over the same period, with a 12.8% CAGR.
Premium Feature
Moneyball Superscore
79/100
Today's Change
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-0.87
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-1.49
Current Price
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170.48
As for its core metrics, revenue growth has been strong. CINF's year-over-year revenue growth has averaged 19.2% over the last five years, driven by robust premium growth for the insurer. On the other hand, some analysts have called attention to the company's higher-than-expected catastrophe payouts, the result of spring and summer storm activity. However, these expenses were partially offset by better-than-expected investment returns as interest rates have climbed.
In summary, CINF is a stock that has slightly underperformed the overall stock market during the last five years. Yet its strong revenue growth should not be ignored. Investors seeking an insurance stock for their portfolio may want to keep an eye on CINF.
Callan Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Cincinnati Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:CINF – Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 5,642 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,045,000.
A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CINF. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Cincinnati Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $270,892,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 59.4% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,104,457 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $331,136,000 after purchasing an additional 784,584 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 193.3% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 601,033 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $98,161,000 after purchasing an additional 396,086 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 48.6% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 803,665 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $119,682,000 after purchasing an additional 262,715 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new position in shares of Cincinnati Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,692,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.24% of the company’s stock.
Cincinnati Financial Stock Up 1.7% CINF opened at $171.21 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $26.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.55. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $178.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $168.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. Cincinnati Financial Corporation has a 12 month low of $150.00 and a 12 month high of $194.81.
Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The insurance provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by ($0.39). The company had revenue of $4.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.71 billion. Cincinnati Financial had a net margin of 23.84% and a return on equity of 9.63%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.97 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Cincinnati Financial Corporation will post 8.31 EPS for the current year. Cincinnati Financial Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 23rd will be given a $0.94 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 23rd. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Cincinnati Financial’s payout ratio is presently 17.74%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets CINF has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Atlantic Securities set a $197.00 target price on Cincinnati Financial in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Roth Capital increased their price target on shares of Cincinnati Financial from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Cincinnati Financial from $201.00 to $190.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Cincinnati Financial from a “buy (a)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Cincinnati Financial from $175.00 to $197.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Cincinnati Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $195.40.
Get Our Latest Analysis on CINF
Cincinnati Financial Profile (Free Report)
Cincinnati Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: CINF) is an insurance holding company headquartered in the Cincinnati area of Ohio that provides property and casualty insurance products and related services. Founded as part of the Cincinnati Insurance group, the company operates through a set of insurance subsidiaries to underwrite and service policies for both personal and commercial customers. Cincinnati Financial is publicly traded and emphasizes underwriting discipline and long-term relationships with its distribution partners and policyholders.
The company’s core business centers on property and casualty insurance, including homeowners, automobile, commercial casualty, commercial multi-peril, and specialty commercial coverages.
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It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Cincinnati Financial (CINF - Free Report) . Shares have lost about 6.1% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500.
But investors have to be wondering, will the recent negative trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Cincinnati Financial due for a breakout? Well, first let's take a quick look at the latest earnings report in order to get a better handle on the recent drivers for Cincinnati Financial Corporation before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late.
CINF Q2 Earnings Miss Estimates, Revenues Rise Y/Y on Premium Growth
Cincinnati Financial reported second-quarter 2026 operating income of $1.43 per share, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 21.4%. The bottom line declined 27.4% from the year-ago quarter.
Total operating revenues for the second quarter were $3 billion, reflecting a 6.8% year-over-year increase. The figure, however, missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.4%.
Quarterly results benefited from strong premium growth, improved pricing, and higher net investment income. However, weaker underwriting performance, driven by higher catastrophe losses, weighed on results.
Operational UpdateEarned premiums climbed 6.3% year over year to $2.6 billion, driven by higher renewal pricing, increased insured exposures and new business growth. The figure marginally missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.5%.
Net investment income, net of expenses, increased 12% year over year to $319 million, primarily due to a 14% rise in interest income from fixed-maturity securities and a 3% jump in equity portfolio dividends. The figure marginally beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.8%
Total benefits and expenses increased 12.8% year over year to $2.7 billion, mainly due to higher insurance losses and underwriting, acquisition and insurance expenses.
In its property and casualty insurance business, CINF reported an underwriting loss of $18 million, compared to an underwriting profit of $128 million in the year-ago quarter, reflecting higher catastrophe losses. The Zacks Consensus Estimates was $62.6 million.
The combined ratio, a key measure of underwriting profitability, deteriorated 590 basis points year over year to 100.8%, underperforming the consensus estimate of 97.1.
Quarterly Segment UpdateCommercial Lines Insurance: Total revenues of $1.25 billion increased 3% year over year, driven by a 3% increase in earned premiums and higher investment income.
Underwriting recorded a loss of $49 million, against a profit of $87 million in the prior-year quarter. The combined ratio deteriorated 1,120 basis points year over year to 104.1%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was 99.8%.
Personal Lines Insurance: Total revenues of $881 million increased 9% year over year, driven by a 9% rise in earned premiums. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was $889 million.
Underwriting profit increased significantly year over year to $1 million from a loss of $14 million, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6 million. The combined ratio deteriorated 210 basis points year over year to 99.9%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was 98.1.
Excess and Surplus Lines Insurance: Total revenues of $190 million grew 9% year over year, aided by a 9% increase in earned premiums. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was $185 million.
Underwriting profit increased 19% year over year to $19 million, significantly surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $14.5 million. The combined ratio improved 60 basis points year over year to 90.5%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was 92.4%.
Life Insurance: Total revenues were $142 million, up 9% year over year, driven by 5% higher earned premiums and 10% higher investment income, net of expenses. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was $140.3 million. Total benefits and expenses increased 7% year over year to $104 million.
CINF's Financial UpdateAs of June 30, 2026, Cincinnati Financial reported total assets of $43.2 billion, up 5.4% from the 2025-end level.
Long-term debt was $791 million, remaining nearly flat from the 2025-end level.
The company's debt-to-total-capital ratio improved to 4.6% from 4.9% at 2025-end.
As of June 30, 2026, CINF’s book value per share increased 6.1% from the 2025-end level to $108.64.
How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?In the past month, investors have witnessed a downward trend in estimates review.
VGM ScoresCurrently, Cincinnati Financial has a poor Growth Score of F, a score with the same score on the momentum front. However, the stock was allocated a score of C on the value side, putting it in the middle 20% for value investors.
Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of F. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.
OutlookEstimates have been broadly trending downward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions indicates a downward shift. Interestingly, Cincinnati Financial has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months.
Performance of an Industry PlayerCincinnati Financial is part of the Zacks Insurance - Property and Casualty industry. Over the past month, Kinsale Capital Group, Inc. (KNSL - Free Report) , a stock from the same industry, has gained 4.8%. The company reported its results for the quarter ended June 2026 more than a month ago.
Kinsale Capital Group reported revenues of $548.52 million in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +16.8%. EPS of $5.54 for the same period compares with $4.78 a year ago.
Kinsale Capital Group is expected to post earnings of $4.87 per share for the current quarter, representing a year-over-year change of -6.5%. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed -0.4%.
Kinsale Capital Group has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) based on the overall direction and magnitude of estimate revisions. Additionally, the stock has a VGM Score of D.
Allworth Financial LP purchased a new position in Cincinnati Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:CINF – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 8,175 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,514,000.
Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new position in Cincinnati Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 98.8% in the second quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 167 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cincinnati Financial in the first quarter worth $34,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new position in shares of Cincinnati Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID raised its position in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 78.8% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 245 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.24% of the company’s stock.
Cincinnati Financial Stock Up 0.1% NASDAQ:CINF opened at $168.29 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $177.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $168.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.31. Cincinnati Financial Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $150.00 and a fifty-two week high of $194.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.54.
Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The insurance provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by ($0.39). The firm had revenue of $4.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.71 billion. Cincinnati Financial had a net margin of 23.84% and a return on equity of 9.63%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.97 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Cincinnati Financial Corporation will post 8.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CINF. Atlantic Securities set a $197.00 price target on shares of Cincinnati Financial in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Cincinnati Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $197.00 to $193.00 in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Roth Capital boosted their target price on Cincinnati Financial from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Cincinnati Financial from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (a)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of Cincinnati Financial from $201.00 to $190.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $195.40.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on CINF
Cincinnati Financial Company Profile (Free Report)
Cincinnati Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: CINF) is an insurance holding company headquartered in the Cincinnati area of Ohio that provides property and casualty insurance products and related services. Founded as part of the Cincinnati Insurance group, the company operates through a set of insurance subsidiaries to underwrite and service policies for both personal and commercial customers. Cincinnati Financial is publicly traded and emphasizes underwriting discipline and long-term relationships with its distribution partners and policyholders.
The company’s core business centers on property and casualty insurance, including homeowners, automobile, commercial casualty, commercial multi-peril, and specialty commercial coverages.
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, /PRNewswire/ -- Cincinnati Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: CINF) announced that at today's regular meeting, the board of directors declared a 94 cents-per-share regular quarterly cash dividend. The dividend is payable October 15, 2026, to shareholders of record as of September 23, 2026.
Stephen M. Spray, president and chief executive officer, commented, "Our financial strength remains in excellent shape, giving us the confidence and ability to continue executing on our plans to achieve profitable growth in our insurance operations. Our strong operations, in turn, create the basis for rewarding shareholders now and into the future. This October dividend payment completes 66 consecutive years of increasing annual cash dividends – a record we believe is matched by only seven other publicly traded U.S. companies."
About Cincinnati Financial
Cincinnati Financial Corporation offers primarily business, home and auto insurance through The Cincinnati Insurance Company and its two standard market property casualty companies. The same local independent insurance agencies that market those policies may offer products of our other subsidiaries, including life insurance, fixed annuities and surplus lines property and casualty insurance. For additional information about the company, please visit cinfin.com.
Mailing Address:
Street Address:
P.O. Box 145496
6200 South Gilmore Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45250-5496
Fairfield, Ohio 45014-5141
Safe Harbor Statement
Our business is subject to certain risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements contained herein, are based upon our current estimates, assumptions and plans that are subject to uncertainty. These statements are made subject to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words like "seek," "expect," "will," "should," "could," "might," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend," "likely," "future," or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they were made; we assume no obligation to update such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:
Insurance-Related Risks
Risks and uncertainties associated with our loss reserves or actual claim costs exceeding reserves Increased frequency and/or severity of claims or development of claims that are unforeseen at the time of policy issuance Unusually high levels of catastrophe losses due to risk concentrations or changes in weather patterns, environmental events, war or political unrest, terrorism incidents, cyberattacks, civil unrest or other causes; and our ability to manage catastrophe risk Risks associated with analytical models in key areas such as underwriting, pricing, capital management, reserving, investments, reinsurance, and catastrophe risk management Inadequate estimates or assumptions, or reliance on third-party data used for critical accounting estimates Events or conditions that could weaken or harm our relationships with our independent agencies and hamper opportunities to add new agencies, resulting in limitations on our opportunities for growth Mergers, acquisitions, and other consolidations of agencies that result in a concentration of a significant amount of premium in one agency or agency group and/or alter our competitive advantages Our inability to manage business opportunities, growth prospects, and expenses for our ongoing operations Changing consumer insurance-buying habits The inability to obtain adequate ceded reinsurance on acceptable terms, for acceptable amounts, and from financially strong reinsurers; and the potential for nonpayment or delay in payment by reinsurers Domestic and global events, such as the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East, future pandemics, inflationary trends, changes in U.S. trade and tariff policy, and disruptions in the banking and financial services industry, resulting in insurance losses, capital market or credit market uncertainty, followed by prolonged periods of economic instability or recession, that lead to: Securities market disruption or volatility and related effects such as decreased economic activity and continued supply chain disruptions that affect our investment portfolio and book value Significant or prolonged decline in the fair value of securities and impairment of the assets Significant decline in investment income due to reduced or eliminated dividend payouts from securities Significant rise in losses from surety or director and officer policies written for financial institutions or other insured entities or in losses from policies written by Cincinnati Re or Cincinnati Global An unusually high level of claims in our insurance or reinsurance operations that increase litigation-related expenses Decreased premium revenue and cash flow from disruption to our distribution channel of independent agents, consumer self-isolation, travel limitations, business restrictions and decreased economic activity The inability of our workforce, agencies, or vendors to perform necessary business functions Financial, Economic, and Investment Risks
Declines in overall stock market values negatively affecting our equity portfolio and book value Downgrades in our financial strength ratings Interest rate fluctuations or other factors that could significantly affect: Our ability to generate growth in investment income Values of our fixed-maturity investments and accounts in which we hold bank-owned life insurance contract assets Our traditional life policy reserves Economic volatility and illiquidity associated with our alternative investments in private equity, private credit, real property, and limited partnerships Failure to comply with covenants and other requirements under our credit facilities, senior debt, and other debt obligations Recession, prolonged elevated inflation, or other economic conditions resulting in lower demand for insurance products or increased payment delinquencies The inability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends consistent with current or past levels impacting our ability to pay shareholder dividends or repurchase shares General Business, Technology, and Operational Risks
Ineffective information technology systems or failing to develop and implement improvements in technology Difficulties with technology or data security breaches, including cyberattacks, could negatively affect our, or our agents', ability to conduct business; disrupt our relationships with agents, policyholders, and others; cause reputational damage, mitigation expenses, data loss, and expose us to liability Difficulties with our operations and technology that may negatively impact our ability to conduct business, including cloud-based data information storage, data security, remote working capabilities, and/or outsourcing relationships and third-party operations and data security Disruption of the insurance market caused by technology innovations – such as driverless cars – that could decrease consumer demand for insurance products Delays, inadequate data developed internally or from third parties, or performance inadequacies from ongoing development and implementation of underwriting and pricing models and methods, including usage-based insurance methods, automation, artificial intelligence, or technology projects and enhancements expected to increase our efficiency, pricing accuracy, underwriting profit, and competitiveness Intense competition, and the impact of innovation, emerging technologies, artificial intelligence and changing customer preferences on the insurance industry and the markets in which we operate, could harm our ability to maintain or increase our business volumes and profitability Inability to defer policy acquisition costs for any business segment if pricing and loss trends would lead management to conclude that the segment could not achieve sustainable profitability Unforeseen departure of certain executive officers or other key employees that could interrupt progress toward important strategic goals or diminish the effectiveness of certain longstanding relationships with insurance agents and others Our inability, or the inability of our independent agents, to attract and retain personnel Events, such as a pandemic, an epidemic, natural catastrophe, or terrorism, which could hamper our ability to assemble our workforce, work effectively in a remote environment, or other failures of business continuity or disaster recovery programs Regulatory, Compliance, and Legal Risks
Actions of insurance departments, state attorneys general or other regulatory agencies, including a change to a federal system of regulation from a state-based system, that: Impose new obligations on us that increase our expenses or change the assumptions underlying our critical accounting estimates Place the insurance industry under greater regulatory scrutiny or result in new statutes, rules, and regulations Restrict our ability to exit or reduce writings of unprofitable coverages or lines of business Increase assessments for guaranty funds, other insurance‑related assessments, or mandatory reinsurance arrangements; or that impair our ability to recover such assessments through future surcharges or other rate changes Increase our provision for federal income taxes due to changes in tax laws, regulations, or interpretations Increase other expenses Limit our ability to set fair, adequate, and reasonable rates Restrict our ability to cancel policies Impose new underwriting standards Place us at a disadvantage in the marketplace Restrict our ability to execute our business model, including the way we compensate agents Adverse outcomes from litigation, environmental claims, mass torts or administrative proceedings, including effects of social inflation and third-party litigation funding on the size and frequency of litigation awards Events or actions, including unauthorized intentional circumvention of controls, which reduce our future ability to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 Effects of changing social, global, economic, and regulatory environments Additional measures affecting corporate financial reporting and governance that can affect the market value of our common stock Risks and uncertainties are further discussed in other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our 2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K, Item 1A, Risk Factors, Page 30.
Investors interested in stocks from the Insurance - Property and Casualty sector have probably already heard of Essent Group (ESNT - Free Report) and Cincinnati Financial (CINF - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.
The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The Zacks Rank is a proven strategy that targets companies with positive earnings estimate revision trends, while our Style Scores work to grade companies based on specific traits.
Right now, Essent Group is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Cincinnati Financial has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that ESNT has an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.
Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when a company is undervalued at its current share price levels.
Our Value category highlights undervalued companies by looking at a variety of key metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, as well as the P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that have been used by value investors for years.
ESNT currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.08, while CINF has a forward P/E of 20.27. We also note that ESNT has a PEG ratio of 1.74. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. CINF currently has a PEG ratio of 3.53.
Another notable valuation metric for ESNT is its P/B ratio of 1.12. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, CINF has a P/B of 1.55.
Based on these metrics and many more, ESNT holds a Value grade of B, while CINF has a Value grade of C.
ESNT has seen stronger estimate revision activity and sports more attractive valuation metrics than CINF, so it seems like value investors will conclude that ESNT is the superior option right now.
AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Cincinnati Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:CINF – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 3,711 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $687,000.
A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CINF. Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 98.8% in the second quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 167 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cincinnati Financial during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cincinnati Financial in the first quarter valued at about $34,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in Cincinnati Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID grew its position in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 78.8% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 245 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.24% of the company’s stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities research analysts have issued reports on CINF shares. Weiss Ratings raised Cincinnati Financial from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (a)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Cincinnati Financial from $175.00 to $197.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Cincinnati Financial from $201.00 to $190.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Bank of America cut shares of Cincinnati Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $197.00 to $193.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Atlantic Securities set a $197.00 target price on Cincinnati Financial in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Cincinnati Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $195.40.
View Our Latest Research Report on Cincinnati Financial Cincinnati Financial Price Performance Shares of NASDAQ:CINF opened at $168.49 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.31. Cincinnati Financial Corporation has a 12 month low of $150.00 and a 12 month high of $194.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.95, a P/E/G ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.54. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $177.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $168.49.
Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The insurance provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.82 by ($0.39). Cincinnati Financial had a return on equity of 9.63% and a net margin of 23.84%.The firm had revenue of $4.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.97 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Cincinnati Financial Corporation will post 8.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Cincinnati Financial Company Profile (Free Report)
Cincinnati Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: CINF) is an insurance holding company headquartered in the Cincinnati area of Ohio that provides property and casualty insurance products and related services. Founded as part of the Cincinnati Insurance group, the company operates through a set of insurance subsidiaries to underwrite and service policies for both personal and commercial customers. Cincinnati Financial is publicly traded and emphasizes underwriting discipline and long-term relationships with its distribution partners and policyholders.
The company’s core business centers on property and casualty insurance, including homeowners, automobile, commercial casualty, commercial multi-peril, and specialty commercial coverages.
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Key Takeaways Cincinnati Financial is expanding Commercial Lines through disciplined pricing and risk selection. E&S, Personal Lines and agency expansion are diversifying earnings and supporting profitable premium growth. Higher investment yields and 65 straight years of dividend hikes strengthen the long-term shareholder case. Cincinnati Financial Corporation (CINF - Free Report) shares have risen 19.2% in the past year, outperforming the industry and the Finance sector’s growth of 11.4% and 16%, respectively.
Cincinnati Financial has outperformed its peers, including Arch Capital Group Ltd. (ACGL - Free Report) , W.R. Berkley Corporation (WRB - Free Report) and Palomar Holdings, Inc. (PLMR - Free Report) , in the past year. Shares of ACGL, WRB and PLMR have gained 11.7%, 2.1% and 13.6%, respectively, in the said time frame.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
With a market capitalization of $27.47 billion, the average volume of shares traded in the last three months was 0.8 million.
CINF Trading Above 50-Day and 200-Day Moving AveragesShares of Cincinnati Financial closed at $179.04 on Thursday and are trading above the 50-day and 200-day simple moving averages (SMA) of $174.86 and $165.82, respectively, indicating solid upward momentum. SMA is a widely used technical analysis tool to predict future price trends by analyzing historical price data.
CINF’s Growth Projection EncouragesThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for Cincinnati Financial’s 2026 earnings per share indicates a year-over-year increase of 7%. The estimate for 2026 revenues is pegged at $12.02 billion, implying a year-over-year improvement of 7.4%.
The consensus estimate for 2027 earnings per share and revenues indicates an increase of 6.1% and 7.2%, respectively, from the corresponding 2026 estimates.
CINF beat earnings estimates in three of the last four quarters and missed in one, with an average surprise of 11.7%.
Average Target Price for CINF Suggests UpsideBased on short-term price targets offered by six analysts, the Zacks average price target is $190.83 per share. The average suggests a potential 6.5% upside from the last closing price.
CINF’s Higher Return on CapitalReturn on equity in the trailing 12 months was 9.6%, better than the industry average of 7.4%. This highlights the company’s efficiency in utilizing shareholders’ funds.
Factors Acting in Favor of CINFCincinnati Financial’s Commercial Lines Insurance segment has been consistently witnessing growth over the past several quarters, led by disciplined pricing, policy-level risk selection and strong independent agency relationships. The company continues to leverage its agency-centric model to expand Commercial Lines through deeper agency relationships, expand its product offerings and drive profitable premium growth. Its disciplined underwriting approach and focus on risk selection should continue to support Commercial Lines' profitability despite a moderating pricing environment.
Cincinnati Financial continues to strengthen its diversified insurance platform through pricing discipline and targeted growth initiatives. Management expects property and casualty underwriting results to benefit from continued price increases and the expansion of Cincinnati Re and Cincinnati Global, which enhance pricing precision, broaden product offerings and improve income stability.
The Excess & Surplus (E&S) business continues to benefit from strong new business, favorable renewal pricing and product expansion. Meanwhile, Personal Lines remains a key growth driver, which is supported by the Cincinnati Private Client business, higher renewal pricing and geographic diversification. These businesses diversify earnings, reduce volatility and support long-term profitable growth.
Net investment income continues to be driven by higher reinvestment yields, growth in fixed-income investments and robust operating cash flows. Backed by a large, high-quality investment portfolio, these factors continue to provide a meaningful earnings tailwind alongside underwriting operations.
Cincinnati Financial’s expansion strategy is driven by its exclusive partnerships with local, independent insurance agencies. This relationship-based model fosters strong customer loyalty, high retention rates and consistent business growth. As the insurer expands its agency network into underserved markets, it remains well-positioned to drive sustainable premium growth, deepen market penetration and create long-term shareholder value.
Cincinnati Financial has returned capital to its shareholders through share buybacks, dividend hikes and special dividends. It has an excellent track record of raising dividends for 65 straight years. Its dividend yield of 2% is better than the industry average of 0.3%, making the stock an attractive pick for yield-seeking investors.
Risks for CINF StockCincinnati Financial’s results remain sensitive to catastrophe activity, particularly in property lines, and severity can vary sharply by period. Although reinsurance provides protection, elevated catastrophe losses could pressure underwriting margins.
Management continues to emphasize risk selection and segmentation, but rising loss costs, social inflation, larger jury awards and increasing claim severity could pressure profitability despite conservative reserves.
ConclusionStrong performance at the Commercial Lines segment, pricing discipline, agent-focused business models, higher investment income, consistent cash flow and prudent capital deployment support growth. However, exposure to catastrophe losses and loss-cost trends, including social inflation, remains a risk.
Higher return on equity, favorable growth estimates and an impressive dividend history should continue to benefit Cincinnati Financial over the long term. Given the premium valuation, it is wise to adopt a wait-and-see approach on this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
All investors love getting big returns from their portfolio, whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities. But when you're an income investor, your primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments.
Cash flow can come from bond interest, interest from other types of investments, and, of course, dividends. A dividend is that coveted distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders, and investors often view it by its dividend yield, a metric that measures the dividend as a percent of the current stock price. Many academic studies show that dividends account for significant portions of long-term returns, with dividend contributions exceeding one-third of total returns in many cases.
Cincinnati Financial (CINF - Free Report) is headquartered in Fairfield, and is in the Finance sector. The stock has seen a price change of 8.79% since the start of the year. The insurer is currently shelling out a dividend of $0.94 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.12%. This compares to the Insurance - Property and Casualty industry's yield of 0.77% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.34%.
Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $3.76 is up 8% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Cincinnati Financial has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 8.39%. Looking ahead, future dividend growth will be dependent on earnings growth and payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Cincinnati Financial's current payout ratio is 39%, meaning it paid out 39% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Looking at this fiscal year, CINF expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 is $8.51 per share, with earnings expected to increase 7.04% from the year ago period.
From greatly improving stock investing profits and reducing overall portfolio risk to providing tax advantages, investors like dividends for a variety of different reasons. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide a quarterly payout.
High-growth firms or tech start-ups, for example, rarely provide their shareholders a dividend, while larger, more established companies that have more secure profits are often seen as the best dividend options. Income investors must be conscious of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, CINF is a compelling investment opportunity. Not only is it a strong dividend play, but the stock currently sits at a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Cincinnati Financial Corporation (CINF) Q2 2026 Earnings Call July 28, 2026 11:00 AM EDT
Company Participants
Dennis McDaniel - VP & Investor Relations Officer
Stephen Spray - President, CEO & Director
Michael J. Sewell - CFO, Principal Accounting Officer, Executive VP & Treasurer
Conference Call Participants
Michael Phillips - Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., Research Division
Charles Peters - Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Research Division
Joshua Shanker - BofA Securities, Research Division
Michael Zaremski - BMO Capital Markets Equity Research
Meyer Shields - Keefe, Bruyette, & Woods, Inc., Research Division
Matthew Palazola
Presentation
Operator
Good day, everyone, and thank you for joining the Cincinnati Financial Corporation Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] Today's session is being recorded. It is my pleasure to turn the floor over for opening remarks and introductions to Mr. Dennis McDaniel, Investor Relations. Please go ahead, sir.
Dennis McDaniel
VP & Investor Relations Officer
Hello. This is Dennis McDaniel at Cincinnati Financial. Thank you for joining us for our second quarter 2026 earnings conference call. Late yesterday, we issued a news release on our results, along with our supplemental financial package, including our quarter end investment portfolio. To find copies of any of these documents, please visit our investor website, investors.cinfin.com. The shortest route to the information is the Quarterly Results section near the middle of the Investor Overview page.
On this call, you'll first hear from President and Chief Executive Officer, Steve Spray; and then from Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Mike Sewell. After their prepared remarks, investors participating on the call may ask questions. At that time, some responses may be made by others in the room with us, including Executive Chairman, Steve Johnston; Chief Investment Officer, Steve Soloria; and Cincinnati Insurance's Chief Claims Officer, Marc Schambow; and Senior Vice President of Corporate Finance, Andy Schnell.
Key Takeaways CINF missed Q2 earnings estimates as higher catastrophe losses weakened underwriting results. Premium growth and higher investment income supported revenue despite a weaker combined ratio. Commercial Lines struggled, while Personal, E&S and Life businesses posted solid revenue growth. Cincinnati Financial Corporation (CINF - Free Report) reported second-quarter 2026 operating income of $1.43 per share, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 21.4%. The bottom line declined 27.4% from the year-ago quarter.
Total operating revenues for the second quarter were $3 billion, reflecting a 6.8% year-over-year increase. The figure, however, missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.4%.
Quarterly results benefited from strong premium growth, improved pricing, and higher net investment income. However, weaker underwriting performance, driven by higher catastrophe losses, weighed on results.
Operational UpdateEarned premiums climbed 6.3% year over year to $2.6 billion, driven by higher renewal pricing, increased insured exposures and new business growth. The figure marginally missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.5%.
Net investment income, net of expenses, increased 12% year over year to $319 million, primarily due to a 14% rise in interest income from fixed-maturity securities and a 3% jump in equity portfolio dividends. The figure marginally beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.8%
Total benefits and expenses increased 12.8% year over year to $2.7 billion, mainly due to higher insurance losses and underwriting, acquisition and insurance expenses.
In its property and casualty insurance business, CINF reported an underwriting loss of $18 million, compared to an underwriting profit of $128 million in the year-ago quarter, reflecting higher catastrophe losses. The Zacks Consensus Estimates was $62.6 million.
The combined ratio, a key measure of underwriting profitability, deteriorated 590 basis points year over year to 100.8%, underperforming the consensus estimate of 97.1.
Quarterly Segment UpdateCommercial Lines Insurance: Total revenues of $1.25 billion increased 3% year over year, driven by a 3% increase in earned premiums and higher investment income.
Underwriting recorded a loss of $49 million, against a profit of $87 million in the prior-year quarter. The combined ratio deteriorated 1,120 basis points year over year to 104.1%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was 99.8%.
Personal Lines Insurance: Total revenues of $881 million increased 9% year over year, driven by a 9% rise in earned premiums. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was $889 million.
Underwriting profit increased significantly year over year to $1 million from a loss of $14 million, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6 million. The combined ratio deteriorated 210 basis points year over year to 99.9%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was 98.1.
Excess and Surplus Lines Insurance: Total revenues of $190 million grew 9% year over year, aided by a 9% increase in earned premiums. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was $185 million.
Underwriting profit increased 19% year over year to $19 million, significantly surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $14.5 million. The combined ratio improved 60 basis points year over year to 90.5%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was 92.4%.
Life Insurance: Total revenues were $142 million, up 9% year over year, driven by 5% higher earned premiums and 10% higher investment income, net of expenses. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was $140.3 million. Total benefits and expenses increased 7% year over year to $104 million.
CINF's Financial UpdateAs of June 30, 2026, Cincinnati Financial reported total assets of $43.2 billion, up 5.4% from the 2025-end level.
Long-term debt was $791 million, remaining nearly flat from the 2025-end level.
The company's debt-to-total-capital ratio improved to 4.6% from 4.9% at 2025-end.
As of June 30, 2026, CINF’s book value per share increased 6.1% from the 2025-end level to $108.64.
CINF's Zacks RankCincinnati Financial currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Performance of Other InsurersSelective Insurance Group, Inc. (SIGI - Free Report) reported second-quarter 2026 operating earnings of $1.95 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 13.4%. The bottom line increased 48.9% year over year.
Revenues of $1.37 billion rose 4.5% from the year-ago quarter and topped the consensus estimate by 0.7%. Net premiums written plunged 5% year over year to $1.22 billion due to a 6% decrease in Standard Commercial Lines, an 8% fall in Standard Personal Lines, and a 2% decline in Excess and Surplus Lines. The combined ratio improved 220 basis points to 98.
W.R. Berkley Corporation (WRB - Free Report) reported second-quarter 2026 operating income of $1.27 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 16.5%. The bottom line increased 21% year over year. W.R. Berkley’s net premiums written were $3.4 billion, up 2.4% year over year. The figure surpassed our estimate of $3.4 billion.
Operating revenues totaled $ 3.8 billion, up 3.6% year over year. The top line surpassed the consensus estimate by 1.87%. Net investment income grew 10.4% to $418.7 million, supported by higher invested assets and higher portfolio yields. The figure topped our estimate of $407 million. The consensus estimate was $395.6 million.
RLI Corp. (RLI - Free Report) reported second-quarter 2026 operating earnings of 83 cents per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 16.9%. The bottom line increased 1.2% from the prior-year quarter.
Operating revenues for the reported quarter were $463 million, up 4.9% year over year, driven by higher net premiums earned and net investment income. The top line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.6%. Gross premiums written increased 3.1% year over year to $579.7 million, driven by strong growth in the casualty segment. Net investment income increased 16.8% year over year to $46 million. The combined ratio deteriorated 110 basis points year over year to 85.6.
Worried About a Fading Rally? Consider These 3 Dividend StocksCincinnati Financial NASDAQ: CINF reported second-quarter 2026 net income of nearly $1.3 billion, aided by an $882 million after-tax increase in the fair value of equity securities still held. Non-GAAP operating income declined to $224 million from $311 million a year earlier as the insurer maintained pricing discipline amid what management described as a softening property-casualty market.
President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Spray said the company’s results reflected continued execution of its underwriting strategy, although catastrophe losses were modestly above its longer-term average. The property-casualty combined ratio was 100.8% for the quarter, worsening by 5.9 percentage points from the prior-year period. Catastrophe losses accounted for 2.3 percentage points of that increase.
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Dividend Aristocrats or Dividend Kings: Which Is Best for You?For the first six months of 2026, Cincinnati Financial’s current accident-year combined ratio before catastrophe losses was 87.8%, essentially unchanged from 87.7% in the first half of 2025.
Premium Growth Slows as Pricing Conditions Ease Consolidated property-casualty net written premiums increased 3% during the second quarter. Spray said the slower growth reflected the company’s emphasis on policy-by-policy pricing and risk segmentation rather than pursuing premium volume in a softer market.
Management said roughly two-thirds of the consolidated premium growth came from pricing and about one-third came from increased insured exposures, including higher sales, payrolls and property values.
Commercial lines: Net written premiums rose 3%, while the combined ratio increased 11.2 percentage points to 104.1%. Higher catastrophe losses added 4.9 percentage points to the ratio. Personal lines: Net written premiums increased 1%, with lower new-business premiums reflecting softer market conditions. The combined ratio improved 2.1 percentage points to 99.9%, including a 1.6-point benefit from lower catastrophe losses. Excess and surplus lines: Net written premiums grew 8%, and the segment reported a 90.5% combined ratio. Cincinnati Re: Net written premiums increased 16%, while its combined ratio was 87.6%. Cincinnati Global: Net written premiums rose 1%, and the combined ratio was 110.8%. Spray said commercial lines and excess-and-surplus lines renewal pricing averaged near the high end of the low-single-digit percentage range during the quarter. Personal auto and homeowners renewal pricing increases remained in the high-single-digit range.
During the question-and-answer session, management said Cincinnati Re’s growth can be more opportunistic and seasonal because of its assumed reinsurance business. Cincinnati Global, meanwhile, has faced pressure in larger-property, shared-and-layered direct and facultative business, though the company said it remains focused on underwriting and pricing discipline.
Large-Loss Activity and Personal-Lines Strategy Chief Financial Officer Mike Sewell said the company recorded about 30 current-accident-year commercial large losses of more than $2 million through the first half, totaling approximately $112 million. That compared with 26 losses totaling $101 million in the first half of 2025.
Sewell said the year-over-year increase in property large losses was primarily tied to one claim that reached the company’s working treaty, affecting results by roughly $15 million. He said large losses represented a 2.2% loss ratio in both periods when measured against earned premiums, and management did not see an unexpected concentration by risk category or geography.
Spray said the company conducts reviews after every large loss and views the recent activity as inherent volatility rather than evidence of a broader trend.
On personal lines, Spray said Cincinnati Financial had doubled the segment’s premium base over the four years through the end of 2025 and expected growth to moderate after the hard market. He said the company continues to see room for margin improvement in personal lines and is prioritizing profitability, underwriting terms, risk selection and catastrophe management.
High-net-worth business accounts for a little more than 60% of personal lines premiums, according to Spray. He said the company expects that share to continue increasing, while remaining committed to middle-market personal-lines coverage because of its importance to the independent agencies it represents. Management said it has reassessed California homeowners exposure following wildfire losses, including aggregations, terms, conditions and pricing.
Investment Income, Reserves and Capital Actions Investment income rose 12% in the second quarter, supported by insurance operating cash flow and higher fixed-maturity portfolio yields. Bond interest income increased 14%, while the fixed-maturity portfolio’s average pretax yield reached 5.08%, up 15 basis points from a year earlier.
The company made net fixed-maturity purchases of $316 million in the quarter and $940 million in the first half. It also reported net sales of equity securities totaling $678 million in the quarter. Sewell said the portfolio rebalancing was higher than in a typical quarter but was similar to activity in the third quarter of 2024 and did not signal a change in investment strategy.
Before taxes, Cincinnati Financial recorded a $1.3 billion net gain in its equity portfolio and a $79 million gain in its bond portfolio during the quarter. At quarter-end, the investment portfolio’s net appreciated value was approximately $8.6 billion.
Cash flow from operating activities totaled $1.4 billion in the first six months, up 29% from a year earlier. The underwriting expense ratio increased 1.2 percentage points in the quarter, driven by higher commission expense and the timing of certain costs. Sewell said the company aims to keep the expense ratio below 30% while continuing to invest in technology and employees.
Prior-year reserve development provided a $42 million benefit in the second quarter, improving the combined ratio by 1.7 percentage points. However, commercial casualty experienced $14 million of unfavorable reserve development tied to updated loss estimates for a small number of insureds in one older accident year. Management said it is maintaining a prudent view of casualty reserves amid legal-system-abuse concerns and pressure on claim severity.
Cincinnati Global’s quarterly results included about $10 million in net charges related to conflict in Saudi Arabia and a roughly $7.5 million reserve for a U.S. event-cancellation contingency, management said.
The company paid $143 million in shareholder dividends and repurchased approximately 1.3 million shares for $216 million, or an average price of $161.93 per share. Book value reached a record $108.64 per share, while consolidated shareholders’ equity approached $17 billion. Parent-company cash and marketable securities totaled $5.7 billion, and debt to total capital remained below 10%.
About Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF)Cincinnati Financial Corporation NASDAQ: CINF is an insurance holding company headquartered in the Cincinnati area of Ohio that provides property and casualty insurance products and related services. Founded as part of the Cincinnati Insurance group, the company operates through a set of insurance subsidiaries to underwrite and service policies for both personal and commercial customers. Cincinnati Financial is publicly traded and emphasizes underwriting discipline and long-term relationships with its distribution partners and policyholders.
The company's core business centers on property and casualty insurance, including homeowners, automobile, commercial casualty, commercial multi-peril, and specialty commercial coverages.
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].
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Cincinnati Financial (CINF - Free Report) reported $2.97 billion in revenue for the quarter ended June 2026, representing a year-over-year increase of 6.9%. EPS of $1.43 for the same period compares to $1.97 a year ago.
The reported revenue represents a surprise of -1.38% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.01 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $1.82, the EPS surprise was -21.43%.
While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health.
As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.
Here is how Cincinnati Financial performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:
Property Casualty Insurance Segment - Expense Ratio: 29.8% versus 28.8% estimated by five analysts on average.Property Casualty Insurance Segment - Loss and loss expenses: 71% compared to the 68.3% average estimate based on five analysts.Property Casualty Insurance Segment - Combined Ratio: 100.8% versus 97.1% estimated by five analysts on average.Commercial Lines Insurance - Loss and loss expenses: 72.8% versus 69.6% estimated by four analysts on average.Revenues- Earned premiums- Total: $2.64 billion compared to the $2.68 billion average estimate based on five analysts. The reported number represents a change of +6.3% year over year.Revenues- Investment income, net of expenses- Total: $319 million compared to the $313.5 million average estimate based on five analysts. The reported number represents a change of +11.9% year over year.Revenues- Personal Lines Insurance- Earned premiums: $880 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $897.9 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +9.5%.Revenues- Life Insurance Subsidiary- Earned premiums: $87 million versus $85.37 million estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +4.8% change.Revenues- Commercial Lines Insurance- Earned premiums: $1.25 billion versus $1.26 billion estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +3.2% change.Revenues- Property Casualty Insurance- Fee revenues: $3 million versus $3 million estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a 0% change.Total revenues- Excess and surplus lines insurance: $190 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $191.69 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +8.6%.Revenues- Life Insurance Subsidiary- Fee revenues: $2 million compared to the $1.25 million average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of 0% year over year.View all Key Company Metrics for Cincinnati Financial here>>>
Shares of Cincinnati Financial have returned -0.7% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +0.8% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), indicating that it could outperform the broader market in the near term.
Cincinnati Financial (CINF - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.43 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.82 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.97 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -21.43%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this insurer would post earnings of $1.93 per share when it actually produced earnings of $2.1, delivering a surprise of +8.81%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times.
Cincinnati Financial, which belongs to the Zacks Insurance - Property and Casualty industry, posted revenues of $2.97 billion for the quarter ended June 2026, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.38%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $2.78 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates just once over the last four quarters.
The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.
Cincinnati Financial shares have added about 11.9% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 8.3%.
What's Next for Cincinnati Financial?While Cincinnati Financial has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.
Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Cincinnati Financial was favorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to outperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $1.89 on $3.06 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $8.76 on $12.05 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Insurance - Property and Casualty is currently in the bottom 40% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
One other stock from the same industry, American Integrity Insurance (AII - Free Report) , is yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026.
This company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.81 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -56%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days.
American Integrity Insurance's revenues are expected to be $93.5 million, up 26.3% from the year-ago quarter.
Second-quarter 2026 net income of $1.255 billion, or $8.05 per share, compared with $685 million, or $4.34 per share, in the second quarter of 2025, after recognizing an $882 million second-quarter 2026 after-tax increase in the fair value of equity securities still held. Second-quarter 2026 non-GAAP operating income* of $224 million, or $1.43 per share, compared with $311 million, or $1.97 per share, in the second quarter of last year. The decrease of $87 million included an unfavorable effect of $61 million from an increase in after-tax catastrophe losses. $570 million increase in second-quarter 2026 net income, compared with second-quarter 2025, including the effects of after-tax net increases of $657 million from net investment gains and $28 million from investment income, partially offset by a decrease of $115 million from property casualty underwriting profit. $108.64 book value per share at June 30, 2026, up $6.29 since year-end. 8.0% value creation ratio for the first six months of 2026, compared with 4.6% for the same period of 2025. Financial Highlights
(Dollars in millions, except per share data)
Three months ended June 30,
Six months ended June 30,
2026
2025
% Change
2026
2025
% Change
Revenue Data
Earned premiums
$ 2,635
$ 2,480
6
$ 5,239
$ 4,824
9
Investment income, net of expenses
319
285
12
637
565
13
Total revenues
4,274
3,248
32
7,137
5,814
23
Income Statement Data
Net income
$ 1,255
$ 685
83
$ 1,529
$ 595
157
Investment gains and losses, after-tax
1,031
374
176
975
321
204
Non-GAAP operating income*
$ 224
$ 311
(28)
$ 554
$ 274
102
Per Share Data (diluted)
Net income
$ 8.05
$ 4.34
85
$ 9.78
$ 3.77
159
Investment gains and losses, after-tax
6.62
2.37
179
6.24
2.03
207
Non-GAAP operating income*
$ 1.43
$ 1.97
(27)
$ 3.54
$ 1.74
103
Book value
$ 108.64
$ 91.46
19
Cash dividend declared
$ 0.94
$ 0.87
8
$ 1.88
$ 1.74
8
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding
155.7
157.8
(1)
156.3
157.8
(1)
*
The Definitions of Non-GAAP Information and Reconciliation to Comparable GAAP Measures section defines and reconciles measures presented in this release that are not based on U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
Forward-looking statements and related assumptions are subject to the risks outlined in the company's safe harbor statement.
Insurance Operations Highlights
100.8% second-quarter 2026 property casualty combined ratio, increased from 94.9% for the second quarter of 2025. 3% growth in second-quarter net written premiums, including price increases, premium growth initiatives and a higher level of insured exposures. $353 million second-quarter 2026 property casualty new business written premiums, down 13%. Agencies appointed since the beginning of 2025 contributed $31 million or 9% of total new business written premiums. $30 million second-quarter 2026 life insurance subsidiary net income, up $4 million compared with the second quarter of 2025, and 5% growth in second-quarter 2026 term life insurance earned premiums. Investment and Balance Sheet Highlights
12% or $34 million increase in second-quarter 2026 pretax investment income, including a 14% increase in bond interest income and a 3% increase in stock portfolio dividends. Three-month increase of 4% in fair value of total investments at June 30, 2026, including a 2% increase for the bond portfolio and a 5% increase for the stock portfolio. $5.689 billion parent company cash and marketable securities at June 30, 2026, up 2% from year-end 2025. Investment Income Leads Second-Quarter Profits
Stephen M. Spray, president and chief executive officer, commented: "Investment income increased nicely, producing our main source of profits in the second quarter and bringing our total non-GAAP operating income to $554 million for the first half of the year.
"Turning to our insurance business, elevated catastrophe losses played a large part in an uptick in our combined ratio, coming in just shy of breakeven at 100.8% for the quarter. While not the result of any single storm, our field and headquarters claims associates have been busy, bringing compassion and expertise to our agents and policyholders across the country and close to home. Ohio was particularly impacted by bad weather this Spring with catastrophe losses reaching nearly four times higher than our 5-year second-quarter average for the state.
"On a six-month basis, we recorded a profitable 98.2% combined ratio. We are optimistic that further maturing of our plans to increase both product and geographic diversification will continue to help mute the impacts of catastrophe losses in any one quarter."
Focused on Outstanding Service and Pricing Discipline
"Consolidated net written premiums for the quarter and the first half of the year increased 3% and 5%, respectively. When market competition increases, our hallmark of personal service combines with data-driven analytics to support the ability of our agents to successfully retain their best clients.
"The power of segmentation in this market isn't simply about knowing when to walk away from an account that is underpriced in our view. It's also important that we work with our agents to offer advanced renewal quotes on accounts we believe are adequately priced.
"To help keep our pipeline of opportunities full, we continue to appoint new agencies in geographies where we see the best prospects for profitable growth. So far this year, we've appointed more than 200 agencies. With total agency relationships still under 3,000, we have a lot of runway to fuel growth without dampening the exclusivity of a Cincinnati contract that our current agents enjoy."
Book Value Reaches New Record
"At June 30, our book value again reached a record high, increasing 6% since December 31, 2025, to $108.64. Consolidated cash and total investments also reached a new high, nearly eclipsing $35 billion.
"Our ample capital allows us to execute on our long-term strategies and, at the same time, pay dividends to shareholders. Our value creation ratio, which considers the dividends we pay as well as growth in book value, was 8.0% for the first half of 2026."
Insurance Operations Highlights
Consolidated Property Casualty Insurance Results
(Dollars in millions)
Three months ended June 30,
Six months ended June 30,
2026
2025
% Change
2026
2025
% Change
Earned premiums
$ 2,548
$ 2,397
6
$ 5,067
$ 4,661
9
Fee revenues
3
3
0
7
7
0
Total revenues
2,551
2,400
6
5,074
4,668
9
Loss and loss expenses
1,808
1,587
14
3,475
3,474
0
Underwriting expenses
761
685
11
1,502
1,364
10
Underwriting profit (loss)
$ (18)
$ 128
nm
$ 97
$ (170)
nm
Ratios as a percent of earned premiums:
Pt. Change
Pt. Change
Loss and loss expenses
71.0 %
66.3 %
4.7
68.6 %
74.5 %
(5.9)
Underwriting expenses
29.8
28.6
1.2
29.6
29.3
0.3
Combined ratio
100.8 %
94.9 %
5.9
98.2 %
103.8 %
(5.6)
% Change
% Change
Agency renewal written premiums
$ 2,254
$ 2,135
6
$ 4,299
$ 4,047
6
Agency new business written premiums
353
404
(13)
692
787
(12)
Other written premiums
218
194
12
502
394
27
Net written premiums
$ 2,825
$ 2,733
3
$ 5,493
$ 5,228
5
Ratios as a percent of earned premiums:
Pt. Change
Pt. Change
Current accident year before catastrophe losses
58.3 %
56.5 %
1.8
58.2 %
58.4 %
(0.2)
Current accident year catastrophe losses
14.4
12.4
2.0
12.8
19.4
(6.6)
Prior accident years before catastrophe losses
(1.8)
(2.4)
0.6
(2.2)
(2.3)
0.1
Prior accident years catastrophe losses
0.1
(0.2)
0.3
(0.2)
(1.0)
0.8
Loss and loss expense ratio
71.0 %
66.3 %
4.7
68.6 %
74.5 %
(5.9)
Current accident year combined ratio before
catastrophe losses
88.1 %
85.1 %
3.0
87.8 %
87.7 %
0.1
$92 million or 3 percent growth of second-quarter 2026 property casualty net written premiums, reflecting premium growth initiatives, price increases and a higher level of insured exposures. The contribution to second-quarter growth from Cincinnati Re® and Cincinnati Global Underwriting Ltd.SM in total was approximately 1 percentage point. $51 million decrease in second-quarter 2026 new business premiums written by agencies, due to our personal lines insurance segment. The $51 million decrease included a $18 million increase in production from agencies appointed since the beginning of 2025. 220 new agency appointments in the first six months of 2026, including 36 that market only our personal lines products. 5.9 percentage-point second-quarter 2026 combined ratio increase, including an increase of 2.3 points for losses from catastrophes. 5.6 percentage-point six-month 2026 combined ratio improvement, including a decrease of 5.8 points from lower catastrophe losses. 1.7 percentage-point second-quarter 2026 benefit from favorable prior accident year reserve development of $42 million, compared with 2.6 points or $63 million for second-quarter 2025. 2.4 percentage-point six-month 2026 benefit from favorable prior accident year reserve development, compared with 3.3 points for the first six months of 2025. 0.2 percentage-point improvement in the six-month 2026 ratio for current accident year loss and loss expenses before catastrophes. 0.3 percentage-point increase in the underwriting expense ratio for the first six months of 2026, compared with the same period of 2025. Commercial Lines Insurance Results
(Dollars in millions)
Three months ended June 30,
Six months ended June 30,
2026
2025
% Change
2026
2025
% Change
Earned premiums
$ 1,251
$ 1,212
3
$ 2,492
$ 2,391
4
Fee revenues
1
—
nm
2
2
0
Total revenues
1,252
1,212
3
2,494
2,393
4
Loss and loss expenses
910
767
19
1,757
1,502
17
Underwriting expenses
391
358
9
768
707
9
Underwriting profit (loss)
$ (49)
$ 87
nm
$ (31)
$ 184
nm
Ratios as a percent of earned premiums:
Pt. Change
Pt. Change
Loss and loss expenses
72.8 %
63.3 %
9.5
70.5 %
62.8 %
7.7
Underwriting expenses
31.3
29.6
1.7
30.8
29.6
1.2
Combined ratio
104.1 %
92.9 %
11.2
101.3 %
92.4 %
8.9
% Change
% Change
Agency renewal written premiums
$ 1,146
$ 1,116
3
$ 2,330
$ 2,268
3
Agency new business written premiums
208
200
4
413
403
2
Other written premiums
(27)
(26)
(4)
(57)
(56)
(2)
Net written premiums
$ 1,327
$ 1,290
3
$ 2,686
$ 2,615
3
Ratios as a percent of earned premiums:
Pt. Change
Pt. Change
Current accident year before catastrophe losses
62.2 %
59.6 %
2.6
62.5 %
60.3 %
2.2
Current accident year catastrophe losses
12.0
7.2
4.8
10.8
6.1
4.7
Prior accident years before catastrophe losses
(1.3)
(3.3)
2.0
(2.7)
(2.9)
0.2
Prior accident years catastrophe losses
(0.1)
(0.2)
0.1
(0.1)
(0.7)
0.6
Loss and loss expense ratio
72.8 %
63.3 %
9.5
70.5 %
62.8 %
7.7
Current accident year combined ratio before
catastrophe losses
93.5 %
89.2 %
4.3
93.3 %
89.9 %
3.4
$37 million or 3% growth in second-quarter 2026 commercial lines net written premiums, primarily due to higher agency renewal premiums. Three percent growth in six-month net written premiums. $30 million or 3% increase in second-quarter renewal written premiums, with commercial lines average renewal pricing increases near the high end of the low-single-digit percent range. $8 million or 4% increase in second-quarter 2026 new business premiums written by agencies, as we continue to carefully underwrite each policy in a highly competitive market. 11.2 percentage-point second-quarter 2026 combined ratio increase, including an increase of 4.9 points for losses from catastrophes. 8.9 percentage-point six-month 2026 combined ratio increase, including an increase of 5.3 points from higher catastrophe losses. 1.4 percentage-point second-quarter 2026 benefit from favorable prior accident year reserve development of $17 million, compared with 3.5 points or $42 million for second-quarter 2025. 2.8 percentage-point six-month 2026 benefit from favorable prior accident year reserve development, compared with 3.6 points for the first six months of 2025. Personal Lines Insurance Results
(Dollars in millions)
Three months ended June 30,
Six months ended June 30,
2026
2025
% Change
2026
2025
% Change
Earned premiums
$ 880
$ 804
9
$ 1,753
$ 1,502
17
Fee revenues
1
2
(50)
3
3
0
Total revenues
881
806
9
1,756
1,505
17
Loss and loss expenses
638
598
7
1,245
1,444
(14)
Underwriting expenses
242
222
9
480
432
11
Underwriting profit (loss)
$ 1
$ (14)
nm
$ 31
$ (371)
nm
Ratios as a percent of earned premiums:
Pt. Change
Pt. Change
Loss and loss expenses
72.4 %
74.4 %
(2.0)
71.0 %
96.1 %
(25.1)
Underwriting expenses
27.5
27.6
(0.1)
27.4
28.8
(1.4)
Combined ratio
99.9 %
102.0 %
(2.1)
98.4 %
124.9 %
(26.5)
% Change
% Change
Agency renewal written premiums
$ 943
$ 866
9
$ 1,669
$ 1,500
11
Agency new business written premiums
78
141
(45)
154
268
(43)
Other written premiums
(31)
(27)
(15)
(58)
(116)
50
Net written premiums
$ 990
$ 980
1
$ 1,765
$ 1,652
7
Ratios as a percent of earned premiums:
Pt. Change
Pt. Change
Current accident year before catastrophe losses
52.3 %
51.3 %
1.0
52.8 %
56.9 %
(4.1)
Current accident year catastrophe losses
21.4
25.4
(4.0)
19.2
41.7
(22.5)
Prior accident years before catastrophe losses
(2.1)
(0.7)
(1.4)
(1.3)
(0.8)
(0.5)
Prior accident years catastrophe losses
0.8
(1.6)
2.4
0.3
(1.7)
2.0
Loss and loss expense ratio
72.4 %
74.4 %
(2.0)
71.0 %
96.1 %
(25.1)
Current accident year combined ratio before
catastrophe losses
79.8 %
78.9 %
0.9
80.2 %
85.7 %
(5.5)
$10 million or 1% growth in second-quarter 2026 personal lines net written premiums, including higher agency renewal written premiums that benefited from rate increases in the high-single-digit percent range, partially offset by lower new business premiums and policy retention in the upper-80% range that reflect pricing discipline. Seven percent growth in six-month net written premiums. $63 million or 45% decrease in second-quarter 2026 new business premiums written by agencies, as we continue to carefully underwrite each policy in a highly competitive market. 2.1 percentage-point second-quarter 2026 combined ratio improvement, including a decrease of 1.6 points for losses from catastrophes. 26.5 percentage-point six-month 2026 combined ratio improvement, including a decrease of 20.5 points from lower catastrophe losses. 1.3 percentage-point second-quarter 2026 favorable prior accident year reserve development of $11 million, compared with 2.3 points or $19 million for second-quarter 2025. 1.0 percentage-point six-month 2026 benefit from favorable prior accident year reserve development, compared with 2.5 points for the first six months of 2025. Excess and Surplus Lines Insurance Results
(Dollars in millions)
Three months ended June 30,
Six months ended June 30,
2026
2025
% Change
2026
2025
% Change
Earned premiums
$ 189
$ 174
9
$ 369
$ 336
10
Fee revenues
1
1
0
2
2
0
Total revenues
190
175
9
371
338
10
Loss and loss expenses
118
110
7
228
209
9
Underwriting expenses
53
49
8
103
93
11
Underwriting profit
$ 19
$ 16
19
$ 40
$ 36
11
Ratios as a percent of earned premiums:
Pt. Change
Pt. Change
Loss and loss expenses
62.5 %
63.5 %
(1.0)
61.8 %
62.3 %
(0.5)
Underwriting expenses
28.0
27.6
0.4
28.1
27.5
0.6
Combined ratio
90.5 %
91.1 %
(0.6)
89.9 %
89.8 %
0.1
% Change
% Change
Agency renewal written premiums
$ 165
$ 153
8
$ 300
$ 279
8
Agency new business written premiums
67
63
6
125
116
8
Other written premiums
(13)
(14)
7
(24)
(25)
4
Net written premiums
$ 219
$ 202
8
$ 401
$ 370
8
Ratios as a percent of earned premiums:
Pt. Change
Pt. Change
Current accident year before catastrophe losses
64.6 %
64.9 %
(0.3)
64.6 %
65.2 %
(0.6)
Current accident year catastrophe losses
0.9
1.6
(0.7)
1.0
1.2
(0.2)
Prior accident years before catastrophe losses
(2.9)
(2.7)
(0.2)
(3.5)
(3.8)
0.3
Prior accident years catastrophe losses
(0.1)
(0.3)
0.2
(0.3)
(0.3)
0.0
Loss and loss expense ratio
62.5 %
63.5 %
(1.0)
61.8 %
62.3 %
(0.5)
Current accident year combined ratio before
catastrophe losses
92.6 %
92.5 %
0.1
92.7 %
92.7 %
0.0
$17 million or 8% growth in second-quarter 2026 excess and surplus lines net written premiums, including higher agency renewal written premiums that benefited from price increases averaging in the low-single-digit percent range. Eight percent growth in six-month net written premiums. $4 million or 6% increase in second-quarter 2026 new business premiums written by agencies, as we continue to carefully underwrite each policy in a highly competitive market. 0.6 percentage-point second-quarter 2026 combined ratio improvement and an increase of 0.1 points in the six-month 2026 combined ratio, largely due to lower ratios for current accident year loss and loss expenses including catastrophe losses, partially offset by higher ratios for underwriting expenses. 3.0 percentage-point second-quarter 2026 benefit from favorable prior accident year reserve development of $6 million, compared with 3.0 points or $5 million for second-quarter 2025. 3.8 percentage-point six-month 2026 benefit from favorable prior accident year reserve development, compared with 4.1 points for the first six months of 2025. Life Insurance Subsidiary Results
(Dollars in millions)
Three months ended June 30,
Six months ended June 30,
2026
2025
% Change
2026
2025
% Change
Term life insurance
$ 64
$ 61
5
$ 125
$ 118
6
Whole life insurance
13
13
0
27
26
4
Universal life and other
10
9
11
20
19
5
Earned premiums
87
83
5
172
163
6
Investment income, net of expenses
54
49
10
108
99
9
Investment gains and losses, net
(1)
(4)
75
(1)
(5)
80
Fee revenues
2
2
0
3
3
0
Total revenues
142
130
9
282
260
8
Contract holders' benefits incurred
79
73
8
163
154
6
Underwriting expenses incurred
25
24
4
48
47
2
Total benefits and expenses
104
97
7
211
201
5
Net income before income tax
38
33
15
71
59
20
Income tax provision
8
7
14
15
12
25
Net income of the life insurance subsidiary
$ 30
$ 26
15
$ 56
$ 47
19
$4 million increase in second-quarter 2026 earned premiums, including a 5% increase for term life insurance, our largest life insurance product line. $9 million increase in six-month 2026 life insurance subsidiary net income, primarily due to more favorable mortality experience, increased investment income and increased earned premiums, partially offset by less favorable impacts from the unlocking of interest rate and other actuarial assumptions. $23 million or 2% six-month 2026 increase, to $1.490 billion, in GAAP shareholders' equity for the life insurance subsidiary, primarily from net income that was partially offset by an increase in unrealized investment losses on fixed-maturity securities. Investment and Balance Sheet Highlights
Investments Results
(Dollars in millions)
Three months ended June 30,
Six months ended June 30,
2026
2025
% Change
2026
2025
% Change
Investment income, net of expenses
$ 319
$ 285
12
$ 637
$ 565
13
Investment interest credited to contract holders
(33)
(31)
(6)
(65)
(63)
(3)
Investment gains and losses, net
1,308
473
177
1,238
406
205
Investments profit
$ 1,594
$ 727
119
$ 1,810
$ 908
99
Investment income:
Interest
$ 244
$ 214
14
$ 479
$ 424
13
Dividends
72
70
3
148
137
8
Other
8
5
60
20
12
67
Less investment expenses
5
4
25
10
8
25
Investment income, pretax
319
285
12
637
565
13
Less income taxes
55
49
12
110
97
13
Total investment income, after-tax
$ 264
$ 236
12
$ 527
$ 468
13
Investment returns:
Average invested assets plus cash and cash
equivalents
$ 34,421
$ 30,500
$ 34,313
$ 30,468
Average yield pretax
3.71 %
3.74 %
3.71 %
3.71 %
Average yield after-tax
3.07
3.10
3.07
3.07
Effective tax rate
17.4
17.2
17.3
17.2
Fixed-maturity returns:
Average amortized cost
$ 19,209
$ 17,372
$ 18,938
$ 17,334
Average yield pretax
5.08 %
4.93 %
5.06 %
4.89 %
Average yield after-tax
4.14
4.02
4.12
4.00
Effective tax rate
18.5
18.4
18.5
18.3
$34 million or 12% rise in second-quarter 2026 pretax investment income, including a 14% increase in interest income from fixed-maturity securities and a 3% increase in equity portfolio dividends. $1.382 billion in second-quarter 2026 pretax total investment gains, summarized in the table below. Changes in unrealized gains or losses reported in other comprehensive income, in addition to investment gains and losses reported in net income, are useful for evaluating total investment performance over time and are major components of changes in book value and the value creation ratio. (Dollars in millions)
Three months ended June 30,
Six months ended June 30,
2026
2025
2026
2025
Investment gains and losses on equity securities sold, net
$ 183
$ (1)
$ 223
$ (3)
Unrealized gains and losses on equity securities still held, net
1,117
481
1,006
411
Investment gains and losses on fixed-maturity securities, net
5
(12)
5
(14)
Other
3
5
4
12
Subtotal - investment gains and losses reported in net income
1,308
473
1,238
406
Change in unrealized investment gains and losses - fixed
maturities and short-term
74
28
(146)
95
Total
$ 1,382
$ 501
$ 1,092
$ 501
Balance Sheet Highlights
(Dollars in millions, except share data)
At June 30,
At December 31,
2026
2025
Total investments
$ 33,153
$ 31,783
Total assets
43,231
41,002
Short-term debt
17
25
Long-term debt
791
790
Shareholders' equity
16,671
15,911
Book value per share
108.64
102.35
Debt-to-total-capital ratio
4.6 %
4.9 %
$34.903 billion in consolidated cash and total investments at June 30, 2026, an increase of 5% from $33.214 billion at year-end 2025. $18.954 billion bond portfolio at June 30, 2026, with an average rating of A2/A. Fair value increased $409 million during the second quarter of 2026, including $316 million in net purchases of fixed-maturity securities. $13.194 billion equity portfolio was 39.8% of total investments, including $8.907 billion in appreciated value before taxes at June 30, 2026. Second-quarter 2026 increase in fair value of $625 million, including $678 million in net sales of equity securities. $7.04 second-quarter 2026 increase in book value per share, including an addition of $1.46 of net income before investment gains, $7.09 from investment portfolio net investment gains or changes in unrealized gains for fixed-maturity securities, partially offset by $0.57 for other items and $0.94 from dividends declared to shareholders. Value creation ratio of 8.0% for the first six months of 2026, including 3.5% from net income before investment gains, which includes underwriting and investment income, and 6.2% from investment gains for equity securities, partially offset by 0.7% from changes in unrealized gains for fixed-maturity securities and 1.0% for other items. For additional information or to register for our conference call webcast, please visit investors.cinfin.com.
About Cincinnati Financial
Cincinnati Financial Corporation offers primarily business, home and auto insurance through The Cincinnati Insurance Company and its two standard market property casualty companies. The same local independent insurance agencies that market those policies may offer products of our other subsidiaries, including life insurance, fixed annuities and surplus lines property and casualty insurance. For additional information about the company, please visit cinfin.com.
Mailing Address:
Street Address:
P.O. Box 145496
6200 South Gilmore Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45250-5496
Fairfield, Ohio 45014-5141
Safe Harbor Statement
Our business is subject to certain risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements contained herein, are based upon our current estimates, assumptions and plans that are subject to uncertainty. These statements are made subject to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words like "seek," "expect," "will," "should," "could," "might," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend," "likely," "future," or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they were made; we assume no obligation to update such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:
Insurance-Related Risks
Risks and uncertainties associated with our loss reserves or actual claim costs exceeding reserves Increased frequency and/or severity of claims or development of claims that are unforeseen at the time of policy issuance Unusually high levels of catastrophe losses due to risk concentrations or changes in weather patterns, environmental events, war or political unrest, terrorism incidents, cyberattacks, civil unrest or other causes; and our ability to manage catastrophe risk Risks associated with analytical models in key areas such as underwriting, pricing, capital management, reserving, investments, reinsurance, and catastrophe risk management Inadequate estimates or assumptions, or reliance on third-party data used for critical accounting estimates Events or conditions that could weaken or harm our relationships with our independent agencies and hamper opportunities to add new agencies, resulting in limitations on our opportunities for growth Mergers, acquisitions, and other consolidations of agencies that result in a concentration of a significant amount of premium in one agency or agency group and/or alter our competitive advantages Our inability to manage business opportunities, growth prospects, and expenses for our ongoing operations Changing consumer insurance-buying habits The inability to obtain adequate ceded reinsurance on acceptable terms, for acceptable amounts, and from financially strong reinsurers; and the potential for nonpayment or delay in payment by reinsurers Domestic and global events, such as the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East, future pandemics, inflationary trends, changes in U.S. trade and tariff policy, and disruptions in the banking and financial services industry, resulting in insurance losses, capital market or credit market uncertainty, followed by prolonged periods of economic instability or recession, that lead to: Securities market disruption or volatility and related effects such as decreased economic activity and continued supply chain disruptions that affect our investment portfolio and book value Significant or prolonged decline in the fair value of securities and impairment of the assets Significant decline in investment income due to reduced or eliminated dividend payouts from securities Significant rise in losses from surety or director and officer policies written for financial institutions or other insured entities or in losses from policies written by Cincinnati Re or Cincinnati Global An unusually high level of claims in our insurance or reinsurance operations that increase litigation-related expenses Decreased premium revenue and cash flow from disruption to our distribution channel of independent agents, consumer self-isolation, travel limitations, business restrictions and decreased economic activity The inability of our workforce, agencies, or vendors to perform necessary business functions Financial, Economic, and Investment Risks
Declines in overall stock market values negatively affecting our equity portfolio and book value Downgrades in our financial strength ratings Interest rate fluctuations or other factors that could significantly affect: Our ability to generate growth in investment income Values of our fixed-maturity investments and accounts in which we hold bank-owned life insurance contract assets Our traditional life policy reserves Economic volatility and illiquidity associated with our alternative investments in private equity, private credit, real property, and limited partnerships Failure to comply with covenants and other requirements under our credit facilities, senior debt, and other debt obligations Recession, prolonged elevated inflation, or other economic conditions resulting in lower demand for insurance products or increased payment delinquencies The inability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends consistent with current or past levels impacting our ability to pay shareholder dividends or repurchase shares General Business, Technology, and Operational Risks
Ineffective information technology systems or failing to develop and implement improvements in technology Difficulties with technology or data security breaches, including cyberattacks, could negatively affect our, or our agents', ability to conduct business; disrupt our relationships with agents, policyholders, and others; cause reputational damage, mitigation expenses, data loss, and expose us to liability Difficulties with our operations and technology that may negatively impact our ability to conduct business, including cloud-based data information storage, data security, remote working capabilities, and/or outsourcing relationships and third-party operations and data security Disruption of the insurance market caused by technology innovations such as driverless cars that could decrease consumer demand for insurance products Delays, inadequate data developed internally or from third parties, or performance inadequacies from ongoing development and implementation of underwriting and pricing models and methods, including usage-based insurance methods, automation, artificial intelligence, or technology projects and enhancements expected to increase our efficiency, pricing accuracy, underwriting profit, and competitiveness Intense competition, and the impact of innovation, emerging technologies, artificial intelligence and changing customer preferences on the insurance industry and the markets in which we operate, could harm our ability to maintain or increase our business volumes and profitability Inability to defer policy acquisition costs for any business segment if pricing and loss trends would lead management to conclude that the segment could not achieve sustainable profitability Unforeseen departure of certain executive officers or other key employees that could interrupt progress toward important strategic goals or diminish the effectiveness of certain longstanding relationships with insurance agents and others Our inability, or the inability of our independent agents, to attract and retain personnel Events, such as a pandemic, an epidemic, natural catastrophe, or terrorism, which could hamper our ability to assemble our workforce, work effectively in a remote environment, or other failures of business continuity or disaster recovery programs Regulatory, Compliance, and Legal Risks
Actions of insurance departments, state attorneys general or other regulatory agencies, including a change to a federal system of regulation from a state-based system, that: Impose new obligations on us that increase our expenses or change the assumptions underlying our critical accounting estimates Place the insurance industry under greater regulatory scrutiny or result in new statutes, rules, and regulations Restrict our ability to exit or reduce writings of unprofitable coverages or lines of business Increase assessments for guaranty funds, other insurance‑related assessments, or mandatory reinsurance arrangements; or that impair our ability to recover such assessments through future surcharges or other rate changes Increase our provision for federal income taxes due to changes in tax laws, regulations, or interpretations Increase other expenses Limit our ability to set fair, adequate, and reasonable rates Restrict our ability to cancel policies Impose new underwriting standards Place us at a disadvantage in the marketplace Restrict our ability to execute our business model, including the way we compensate agents Adverse outcomes from litigation, environmental claims, mass torts or administrative proceedings, including effects of social inflation and third-party litigation funding on the size and frequency of litigation awards Events or actions, including unauthorized intentional circumvention of controls, which reduce our future ability to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 Effects of changing social, global, economic, and regulatory environments Additional measures affecting corporate financial reporting and governance that can affect the market value of our common stock Risks and uncertainties are further discussed in other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our 2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K, Item 1A, Risk Factors, Page 30.
* * *
Cincinnati Financial Corporation
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and Statements of Income (unaudited)
(Dollars in millions)
June 30,
December 31,
2026
2025
Assets
Investments
$ 33,153
$ 31,783
Cash and cash equivalents
1,750
1,431
Premiums receivable
3,546
3,142
Reinsurance recoverable
633
655
Deferred policy acquisition costs
1,442
1,344
Other assets
2,707
2,647
Total assets
$ 43,231
$ 41,002
Liabilities
Insurance reserves
$ 15,465
$ 14,499
Unearned premiums
5,724
5,254
Deferred income tax
1,861
1,833
Long-term debt and lease obligations
859
861
Other liabilities
2,651
2,644
Total liabilities
26,560
25,091
Shareholders' Equity
Common stock and paid-in capital
1,979
1,958
Retained earnings
17,958
16,719
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
(135)
(34)
Treasury stock
(3,131)
(2,732)
Total shareholders' equity
16,671
15,911
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity
$ 43,231
$ 41,002
(Dollars in millions, except per share data)
Three months ended June 30,
Six months ended June 30,
2026
2025
2026
2025
Revenues
Earned premiums
$ 2,635
$ 2,480
$ 5,239
$ 4,824
Investment income, net of expenses
319
285
637
565
Investment gains and losses, net
1,308
473
1,238
406
Other revenues
12
10
23
19
Total revenues
4,274
3,248
7,137
5,814
Benefits and Expenses
Insurance losses and contract holders' benefits
1,887
1,660
3,638
3,628
Underwriting, acquisition and insurance expenses
786
709
1,550
1,411
Interest expense
14
14
27
27
Other operating expenses
11
10
20
21
Total benefits and expenses
2,698
2,393
5,235
5,087
Income Before Income Taxes
1,576
855
1,902
727
Provision for Income Taxes
321
170
373
132
Net Income
$ 1,255
$ 685
$ 1,529
$ 595
Per Common Share:
Net income — basic
$ 8.14
$ 4.38
$ 9.88
$ 3.81
Net income — diluted
8.05
4.34
9.78
3.77
Definitions of Non-GAAP Information and Reconciliation to Comparable GAAP Measures
(See attached tables for reconciliations; additional prior-period reconciliations available at investors.cinfin.com.)
Cincinnati Financial Corporation prepares its public financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP). Statutory data is prepared in accordance with statutory accounting rules for insurance company regulation in the United States of America as defined by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' (NAIC) Accounting Practices and Procedures Manual, and therefore is not reconciled to GAAP data.
Management uses certain non-GAAP financial measures to evaluate its primary business areas – property casualty insurance, life insurance and investments. Management uses these measures when analyzing both GAAP and non-GAAP results to improve its understanding of trends in the underlying business and to help avoid incorrect or misleading assumptions and conclusions about the success or failure of company strategies. Management adjustments to GAAP measures generally: apply to non-recurring events that are unrelated to business performance and distort short-term results; involve values that fluctuate based on events outside of management's control; supplement reporting segment disclosures with disclosures for a subsidiary company or for a combination of subsidiaries or reporting segments; or relate to accounting refinements that affect comparability between periods, creating a need to analyze data on the same basis.
Non-GAAP operating income: Non-GAAP operating income is calculated by excluding investment gains and losses (defined as investment gains and losses after applicable federal and state income taxes) and other significant non-recurring items from net income. Management evaluates non-GAAP operating income to measure the success of pricing, rate and underwriting strategies. While investment gains (or losses) are integral to the company's insurance operations over the long term, the determination to realize investment gains or losses on fixed-maturity securities sold in any period may be subject to management's discretion and is independent of the insurance underwriting process. Also, under applicable GAAP accounting requirements, gains and losses are recognized from certain changes in market values of securities without actual realization. Management believes that the level of investment gains or losses for any particular period, while it may be material, may not fully indicate the performance of ongoing underlying business operations in that period.For these reasons, many investors and shareholders consider non-GAAP operating income to be one of the more meaningful measures for evaluating insurance company performance. Equity analysts who report on the insurance industry and the company generally focus on this metric in their analyses. The company presents non-GAAP operating income so that all investors have what management believes to be a useful supplement to GAAP information.
Consolidated property casualty insurance results: To supplement reporting segment disclosures related to our property casualty insurance operations, we also evaluate results for those operations on a basis that includes results for our property casualty insurance and brokerage services subsidiaries. That is the total of our commercial lines, personal lines and our excess and surplus lines segments plus our reinsurance assumed operations known as Cincinnati Re and our London-based global specialty underwriter known as Cincinnati Global. Life insurance subsidiary results: To supplement life insurance reporting segment disclosures related to our life insurance operation, we also evaluate results for that operation on a basis that includes life insurance subsidiary investment income, or investment income plus investment gains and losses, that are also included in our investments reporting segment. We recognize that assets under management, capital appreciation and investment income are integral to evaluating the success of the life insurance segment because of the long duration of life products. Cincinnati Financial Corporation
Net Income Reconciliation
(Dollars in millions, except per share data)
Three months ended June 30,
Six months ended June 30,
2026
2025
2026
2025
Net income
$ 1,255
$ 685
$ 1,529
$ 595
Less:
Investment gains and losses, net
1,308
473
1,238
406
Income tax on investment gains and losses
(277)
(99)
(263)
(85)
Investment gains and losses, after-tax
1,031
374
975
321
Non-GAAP operating income
$ 224
$ 311
$ 554
$ 274
Diluted per share data:
Net income
$ 8.05
$ 4.34
$ 9.78
$ 3.77
Less:
Investment gains and losses, net
8.40
3.00
7.92
2.57
Income tax on investment gains and losses
(1.78)
(0.63)
(1.68)
(0.54)
Investment gains and losses, after-tax
6.62
2.37
6.24
2.03
Non-GAAP operating income
$ 1.43
$ 1.97
$ 3.54
$ 1.74
Life Insurance Reconciliation
(Dollars in millions)
Three months ended June 30,
Six months ended June 30,
2026
2025
2026
2025
Net income of the life insurance subsidiary
$ 30
$ 26
$ 56
$ 47
Investment gains and losses, net
(1)
(4)
(1)
(5)
Income tax on investment gains and losses
—
(1)
—
(1)
Non-GAAP operating income
31
29
57
51
Investment income, net of expenses
(54)
(49)
(108)
(99)
Investment interest credited to contract holders
33
31
65
63
Income tax excluding tax on investment gains and losses,
net
8
8
15
13
Life insurance segment profit
$ 18
$ 19
$ 29
$ 28
Property Casualty Insurance Reconciliation
(Dollars in millions)
Three months ended June 30, 2026
Consolidated
Commercial
Personal
E&S
Other*
Premiums:
Net written premiums
$ 2,825
$ 1,327
$ 990
$ 219
$ 289
Unearned premiums change
(277)
(76)
(110)
(30)
(61)
Earned premiums
$ 2,548
$ 1,251
$ 880
$ 189
$ 228
Underwriting profit (loss)
$ (18)
$ (49)
$ 1
$ 19
$ 11
(Dollars in millions)
Six months ended June 30, 2026
Consolidated
Commercial
Personal
E&S
Other*
Premiums:
Net written premiums
$ 5,493
$ 2,686
$ 1,765
$ 401
$ 641
Unearned premiums change
(426)
(194)
(12)
(32)
(188)
Earned premiums
$ 5,067
$ 2,492
$ 1,753
$ 369
$ 453
Underwriting profit (loss)
$ 97
$ (31)
$ 31
$ 40
$ 57
(Dollars in millions)
Three months ended June 30, 2025
Consolidated
Commercial
Personal
E&S
Other*
Premiums:
Net written premiums
$ 2,733
$ 1,290
$ 980
$ 202
$ 261
Unearned premiums change
(336)
(78)
(176)
(28)
(54)
Earned premiums
$ 2,397
$ 1,212
$ 804
$ 174
$ 207
Underwriting profit (loss)
$ 128
$ 87
$ (14)
$ 16
$ 39
(Dollars in millions)
Six months ended June 30, 2025
Consolidated
Commercial
Personal
E&S
Other*
Premiums:
Net written premiums
$ 5,228
$ 2,615
$ 1,652
$ 370
$ 591
Unearned premiums change
(567)
(224)
(150)
(34)
(159)
Earned premiums
$ 4,661
$ 2,391
$ 1,502
$ 336
$ 432
Underwriting profit (loss)
$ (170)
$ 184
$ (371)
$ 36
$ (19)
Dollar amounts shown are rounded to millions; certain amounts may not add due to rounding.
*Included in Other are the results of Cincinnati Re and Cincinnati Global.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation
Other Measures
Value creation ratio: This is a measure of shareholder value creation that management believes captures the contribution of the company's insurance operations, the success of its investment strategy and the importance placed on paying cash dividends to shareholders. The value creation ratio measure is made up of two primary components: (1) rate of growth in book value per share plus (2) the ratio of dividends declared per share to beginning book value per share. Management believes this measure is useful, providing a meaningful measure of long-term progress in creating shareholder value. It is intended to be all-inclusive regarding changes in book value per share, and uses originally reported book value per share in cases where book value per share has been adjusted, such as adoption of Accounting Standards Updates with a cumulative effect of a change in accounting. Written premium: Under statutory accounting rules in the U.S., property casualty written premium is the amount recorded for policies issued and recognized on an annualized basis at the effective date of the policy. Management analyzes trends in written premium to assess business efforts. The difference between written and earned premium is unearned premium. Value Creation Ratio Calculations
(Dollars are per share)
Three months ended June 30,
Six months ended June 30,
2026
2025
2026
2025
Value creation ratio:
End of period book value*
$ 108.64
$ 91.46
$ 108.64
$ 91.46
Less beginning of period book value
101.60
87.78
102.35
89.11
Change in book value
7.04
3.68
6.29
2.35
Dividend declared to shareholders
0.94
0.87
1.88
1.74
Total value creation
$ 7.98
$ 4.55
$ 8.17
$ 4.09
Value creation ratio from change in book value**
7.0 %
4.2 %
6.2 %
2.6 %
Value creation ratio from dividends declared to shareholders***
0.9
1.0
1.8
2.0
Value creation ratio
7.9 %
5.2 %
8.0 %
4.6 %
* Book value per share is calculated by dividing end of period total shareholders' equity by end of period shares outstanding
** Change in book value divided by the beginning of period book value
*** Dividend declared to shareholders divided by beginning of period book value
The Cincinnati Financial Corp (CINF) released its 8-K filing on July 27, 2026, detailing impressive earnings growth driven primarily by increased investment gai
Cincinnati Financial (CINF +1.91%) has done something that few companies have: it has increased its dividend for 65 consecutive years. There are only seven companies ahead of it on the Dividend King list. However, is a long streak of dividend increases enough to make the stock a buy? Here's what you need to know before you jump aboard this Dividend King.
Cincinnati Financial's business is pretty boring Cincinnati Financial is a property and casualty insurer. From that perspective, there's nothing particularly exciting about the company. It makes money just like other insurance companies, through a mix of premiums and investment income from its float.
Image source: Getty Images.
However, there's an interesting twist here that you need to understand. Cincinnati Financial tends to be a little more aggressive than its peers with its investment portfolio. The company has far more equity exposure than its peers, which focus primarily on owning bonds. At the end of the first quarter of 2026, the company had $32 billion in total investments, with equities accounting for nearly 40% of the total. Most insurance companies are more affected by interest rates than by stock prices, but Cincinnati Financial's profile is dramatically different, given its outsize equity exposure.
Cincinnati Financial has done very well, but... Given Cincinnati Financial's status as a Dividend King, its aggressive investment approach has worked well for the company and shareholders. But investors need to tread with a little caution, given the increased importance of equity performance to the company's business model. Right now, the S&P 500 index (^GSPC +0.05%) is trading near all-time highs, and so is Cincinnati Financial.
Today's Change
(
1.91
%) $
3.43
Current Price
$
182.81
To be fair, the stock's roughly 10x price-to-earnings ratio is in line with its five-year average and, notably, slightly below the industry average of just under 12x. It wouldn't be fair to suggest the stock is expensive, but neither does it look particularly cheap. Notably, the 2% dividend yield is near the lowest levels of the past decade.
Look out if there's a bear market Still, if you are a long-term investor, you should probably keep Cincinnati Financial on your wish list right now. A bear market would likely have a disproportionately negative impact on the stock compared to its peers, where bonds are a greater focus in their investment portfolios. However, if you can be patient, Cincinnati Financial's long-term dividend track record suggests that a bear market could be a good time to take a contrarian stance and buy the stock. When cooler heads prevail and the market eventually recovers, as it has after every bear market so far, Cincinnati Financial is likely to recover along with it.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:CINF – Get Free Report) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $192.40.
CINF has been the subject of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Cincinnati Financial from $175.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Roth Capital boosted their target price on shares of Cincinnati Financial from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Bank of America dropped their target price on Cincinnati Financial from $178.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Atlantic Securities set a $197.00 price target on Cincinnati Financial in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $201.00 price target (up from $191.00) on shares of Cincinnati Financial in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on Cincinnati Financial
Cincinnati Financial Price Performance Shares of NASDAQ:CINF opened at $182.81 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.28 billion, a PE ratio of 10.45, a P/E/G ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $173.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $166.56. Cincinnati Financial has a twelve month low of $143.87 and a twelve month high of $194.81.
Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The insurance provider reported $2.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.93 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $2.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.61 billion. Cincinnati Financial had a net margin of 21.33% and a return on equity of 10.57%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.24) earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Cincinnati Financial will post 8.76 EPS for the current year.
Cincinnati Financial Announces Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.94 per share. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 23rd. Cincinnati Financial’s payout ratio is presently 21.50%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cincinnati Financial Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bison Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Cincinnati Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $210,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in Cincinnati Financial by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 19,112 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,823,000 after purchasing an additional 525 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Cincinnati Financial by 43.9% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 567,894 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $83,889,000 after purchasing an additional 173,343 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. bought a new position in Cincinnati Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at $101,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 10.8% during the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 47,774 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $7,115,000 after purchasing an additional 4,674 shares in the last quarter. 65.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
About Cincinnati Financial (Get Free Report)
Cincinnati Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: CINF) is an insurance holding company headquartered in the Cincinnati area of Ohio that provides property and casualty insurance products and related services. Founded as part of the Cincinnati Insurance group, the company operates through a set of insurance subsidiaries to underwrite and service policies for both personal and commercial customers. Cincinnati Financial is publicly traded and emphasizes underwriting discipline and long-term relationships with its distribution partners and policyholders.
The company’s core business centers on property and casualty insurance, including homeowners, automobile, commercial casualty, commercial multi-peril, and specialty commercial coverages.
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Key Takeaways CINF is expected to post $3 billion in Q2 revenues, up 8.4%, while EPS is expected to be $1.82, down 7.6%.Premiums may rise on pricing, exposure growth, new business and stronger Cincinnati Re contributions.Higher bond yields may lift investment income, but rising losses and operating costs could pressure results. Cincinnati Financial Corporation (CINF - Free Report) is expected to witness an improvement in its top line but a decline in its bottom line when it reports second-quarter 2026 results on July 27, after the opening bell.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CINF’s second-quarter revenues is pegged at $3 billion, indicating 8.4% growth from the year-ago reported figure.
The consensus estimate for earnings is pegged at $1.82 per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CINF’s second-quarter earnings has moved 5 cents north in the past seven days. The estimate indicates a year-over-year decline of 7.6%.
Solid Earnings Surprise HistoryCINF’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 27.54%.
What the Zacks Model Unveils for CINFOur proven model predicts an earnings beat for Cincinnati this time around. This is because the stock has the right combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) that increases the chances of an earnings beat.
You can uncover the best stocks before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
Earnings ESP: CINF has an Earnings ESP of +7.22%. This is because the Most Accurate Estimate of $1.96 is pegged higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.82.
Zacks Rank: CINF carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Factors Likely to Shape Q2 ResultsPremiums are likely to have benefited from greater exposure, improved pricing, higher property and casualty agency new business, increased standard-lines new business, stronger contributions from Cincinnati Re, agent-centered model and policy-by-policy pricing. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at $2.7 billion.
Performance at Personal Lines is likely to have benefited from higher rates, a higher level of insured exposures, increased policy retention rates and changes in policy deductibles or mix of business. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Personal Lines revenues is pegged at $898 million.
Better agency renewal and new business written premiums due to higher renewal pricing are likely to have favored premiums at Excess and Surplus lines. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Excess and Surplus lines revenues is pegged at $191 million.
Robust operating cash flow and higher bond yields are expected to have boosted net investment income. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for investment income, net of expenses, is pegged at $313.5 million.
However, total benefits and expenses are likely to have risen due to higher insurance losses, policyholder benefits, underwriting and acquisition costs, interest expense and other operating expenses.
Disciplined underwriting and a favorable catastrophe environment are likely to have supported underwriting profitability.
Other Stocks to ConsiderSome other P&C insurance stocks with the right combination of elements to deliver an earnings beat this time around are:
Axis Capital Holdings (ACGL - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +3.82% and a Zacks Rank of 3 at present. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter 2026 earnings is pegged at $3.23 per share, indicating a 1.8% year-over-year decrease.
ACGL’s earnings beat estimates in the last four reported quarters.
The Hanover Insurance (THG - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +2.39% and a Zacks Rank of 2 at present. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter 2026 earnings is pegged at $3.88 per share, indicating a 10.1% year-over-year decrease.
THG’s earnings beat estimates in the last four reported quarters.
The Allstate Corporation (ALL - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +2.59% and a Zacks Rank of 2 at present. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter 2026 earnings is pegged at $5.61 per share, indicating a 5.6% year-over-year decrease.
ALL’s earnings beat estimates in the last four reported quarters.
Wall Street analysts expect Cincinnati Financial (CINF - Free Report) to post quarterly earnings of $1.82 per share in its upcoming report, which indicates a year-over-year decline of 7.6%. Revenues are expected to be $3.01 billion, up 8.4% from the year-ago quarter.
The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. This represents how the covering analysts, as a whole, have reassessed their initial estimates during this timeframe.
Prior to a company's earnings announcement, it is crucial to consider revisions to earnings estimates. This serves as a significant indicator for predicting potential investor actions regarding the stock. Empirical research has consistently demonstrated a robust correlation between trends in earnings estimate revision and the short-term price performance of a stock.
While investors usually depend on consensus earnings and revenue estimates to assess the business performance for the quarter, delving into analysts' forecasts for certain key metrics often provides a more comprehensive understanding.
With that in mind, let's delve into the average projections of some Cincinnati Financial metrics that are commonly tracked and projected by analysts on Wall Street.
Analysts' assessment points toward 'Revenues- Earned premiums- Total' reaching $2.68 billion. The estimate suggests a change of +7.9% year over year.
The consensus among analysts is that 'Investment income, net of expenses- Total' will reach $313.50 million. The estimate indicates a change of +10% from the prior-year quarter.
The combined assessment of analysts suggests that 'Revenues- Personal Lines Insurance- Earned premiums' will likely reach $897.90 million. The estimate suggests a change of +11.7% year over year.
The consensus estimate for 'Revenues- Life Insurance Subsidiary- Earned premiums' stands at $85.37 million. The estimate suggests a change of +2.9% year over year.
The collective assessment of analysts points to an estimated 'Property Casualty Insurance Segment - Expense Ratio' of 28.8%. Compared to the present estimate, the company reported 28.6% in the same quarter last year.
Analysts forecast 'Property Casualty Insurance Segment - Loss and loss expenses' to reach 68.3%. Compared to the current estimate, the company reported 66.3% in the same quarter of the previous year.
Analysts expect 'Property Casualty Insurance Segment - Combined Ratio' to come in at 97.1%. Compared to the present estimate, the company reported 94.9% in the same quarter last year.
The average prediction of analysts places 'Commercial Lines Insurance - Loss and loss expenses' at 69.6%. The estimate compares to the year-ago value of 63.3%.
It is projected by analysts that the 'Excess and surplus lines insurance - Loss and loss expenses' will reach 65.2%. Compared to the current estimate, the company reported 63.5% in the same quarter of the previous year.
Based on the collective assessment of analysts, 'Commercial Lines Insurance - Underwriting expenses' should arrive at 30.2%. Compared to the current estimate, the company reported 29.6% in the same quarter of the previous year.
According to the collective judgment of analysts, 'Excess and surplus lines insurance - Underwriting expenses' should come in at 27.6%. Compared to the present estimate, the company reported 27.6% in the same quarter last year.
Analysts predict that the 'Personal Lines Insurance - Underwriting expenses' will reach 28.2%. Compared to the present estimate, the company reported 27.6% in the same quarter last year.
View all Key Company Metrics for Cincinnati Financial here>>>
Cincinnati Financial shares have witnessed a change of +2.7% in the past month, in contrast to the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +0.3% move. With a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), CINF is expected outperform the overall market performance in the near term. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> .
It doesn't matter your age or experience: taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for all investors. Luckily, Zacks Premium offers several different ways to do both.
The popular research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor, giving you access to daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens.
Zacks Premium also includes the Zacks Style Scores.
What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores, developed alongside the Zacks Rank, are complementary indicators that rate stocks based on three widely-followed investing methodologies; they also help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.
Based on their value, growth, and momentum characteristics, each stock is assigned a rating of A, B, C, D, or F. The better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform; an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on.
The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:
Value ScoreFinding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value, are what value investors like to focus on. So, the Value Style Score takes into account ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to highlight the most attractive and discounted stocks.
Growth ScoreGrowth investors are more concerned with a stock's future prospects, and the overall financial health and strength of a company. Thus, the Growth Style Score analyzes characteristics like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will see sustainable growth over time.
Momentum ScoreMomentum traders and investors live by the saying "the trend is your friend." This investing style is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Employing factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, the Momentum Style Score can indicate favorable times to build a position in high-momentum stocks.
VGM ScoreWhat if you like to use all three types of investing? The VGM Score is a combination of all Style Scores, making it one of the most comprehensive indicators to use with the Zacks Rank. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, which helps narrow down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.
How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank, which is a proprietary stock-rating model, employs earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to make building a winning portfolio easier.
It's highly successful, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +23.94% average annual return since 1988. That's more than double the S&P 500. But because of the large number of stocks we rate, there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.
But it can feel overwhelming to pick the right stocks for you and your investing goals with over 800 top-rated stocks to choose from.
That's where the Style Scores come in.
To maximize your returns, you want to buy stocks with the highest probability of success. This means picking stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you find yourself looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, make sure they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible.
Since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank, the direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy.
For instance, a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one that boasts Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings forecast, and a much greater likelihood its share price will decline as well.
Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.
Stock to Watch: Cincinnati Financial (CINF - Free Report) Cincinnati Financial Corporation, formed in 1968 with its headquarters in Fairfield, OH, markets property and casualty insurance. Cincinnati Financial owns three subsidiaries: The Cincinnati Insurance Company, CSU Producer Resources Inc. and CFC Investment Company. In addition, the parent company has an investment portfolio. The Cincinnati Insurance Company owns four additional insurance subsidiaries. The standard market property casualty insurance group includes two of those subsidiaries – The Cincinnati Casualty Company and The Cincinnati Indemnity Company. This group writes a broad range of business, homeowner and auto policies. The Cincinnati Insurance Company also conducts the business of our reinsurance assumed operations, known as Cincinnati Re. Other subsidiaries of The Cincinnati Insurance Company include: The Cincinnati Life Insurance Company providing life insurance policies and fixed annuities and The Cincinnati Specialty Underwriters Insurance Company offering excess and surplus lines insurance products.
CINF is a #2 (Buy) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of A.
Momentum investors should take note of this Finance stock. CINF has a Momentum Style Score of B, and shares are up 2.7% over the past four weeks.
Two analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days for fiscal 2026. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.10 to $8.76 per share. CINF boasts an average earnings surprise of +27.5%.
With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Momentum and VGM Style Scores, CINF should be on investors' short list.
Momentum investing revolves around the idea of following a stock's recent trend in either direction. In "long context," investors will be essentially be "buying high, but hoping to sell even higher." With this methodology, taking advantage of trends in a stock's price is key; once a stock establishes a course, it is more than likely to continue moving that way. The goal is that once a stock heads down a fixed path, it will lead to timely and profitable trades.
While many investors like to look for momentum in stocks, this can be very tough to define. There is a lot of debate surrounding which metrics are the best to focus on and which are poor quality indicators of future performance. The Zacks Momentum Style Score, part of the Zacks Style Scores, helps address this issue for us.
Below, we take a look at Cincinnati Financial (CINF - Free Report) , which currently has a Momentum Style Score of B. We also discuss some of the main drivers of the Momentum Style Score, like price change and earnings estimate revisions.
It's also important to note that Style Scores work as a complement to the Zacks Rank, our stock rating system that has an impressive track record of outperformance. Cincinnati Financial currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Our research shows that stocks rated Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and #2 (Buy) and Style Scores of "A or B" outperform the market over the following one-month period.
You can see the current list of Zacks #1 Rank Stocks here >>>
Set to Beat the Market? In order to see if CINF is a promising momentum pick, let's examine some Momentum Style elements to see if this insurer holds up.
Looking at a stock's short-term price activity is a great way to gauge if it has momentum, since this can reflect both the current interest in a stock and if buyers or sellers have the upper hand at the moment. It is also useful to compare a security to its industry, as this can help investors pinpoint the top companies in a particular area.
For CINF, shares are up 0.84% over the past week while the Zacks Insurance - Property and Casualty industry is flat over the same time period. Shares are looking quite well from a longer time frame too, as the monthly price change of 6.22% compares favorably with the industry's 6.98% performance as well.
Considering longer term price metrics, like performance over the last three months or year, can be advantageous as well. Shares of Cincinnati Financial have increased 9.92% over the past quarter, and have gained 19.94% in the last year. In comparison, the S&P 500 has only moved 4.96% and 19.65%, respectively.
Investors should also take note of CINF's average 20-day trading volume. Volume is a useful item in many ways, and the 20-day average establishes a good price-to-volume baseline; a rising stock with above average volume is generally a bullish sign, whereas a declining stock on above average volume is typically bearish. Right now CINF is averaging 922,296 shares for the last 20 days..
Earnings OutlookThe Zacks Momentum Style Score also takes into account trends in estimate revisions, in addition to price changes. Please note that estimate revision trends remain at the core of Zacks Rank as well. A nice path here can help show promise, and we have recently been seeing that with CINF.
Over the past two months, 2 earnings estimates moved higher compared to none lower for the full year. These revisions helped boost CINF's consensus estimate, increasing from $8.66 to $8.76 in the past 60 days. Looking at the next fiscal year, 1 estimate has moved upwards while there have been no downward revisions in the same time period.
Bottom LineTaking into account all of these elements, it should come as no surprise that CINF is a #2 (Buy) stock with a Momentum Score of B. If you've been searching for a fresh pick that's set to rise in the near-term, make sure to keep Cincinnati Financial on your short list.
Wall Street expects a year-over-year decline in earnings on higher revenues when Cincinnati Financial (CINF - Free Report) reports results for the quarter ended June 2026. While this widely-known consensus outlook is important in gauging the company's earnings picture, a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates.
The earnings report, which is expected to be released on July 27, might help the stock move higher if these key numbers are better than expectations. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower.
While management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call will mostly determine the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations, it's worth having a handicapping insight into the odds of a positive EPS surprise.
Zacks Consensus EstimateThis insurer is expected to post quarterly earnings of $1.82 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -7.6%.
Revenues are expected to be $3.01 billion, up 8.4% from the year-ago quarter.
Estimate Revisions TrendThe consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period.
Investors should keep in mind that the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts may not always get reflected in the aggregate change.
Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Earnings WhisperEstimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. This insight is at the core of our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction).
The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.
Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only.
A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP.
Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell).
How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Cincinnati Financial?For Cincinnati Financial, the Most Accurate Estimate is higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of +7.22%.
On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #2.
So, this combination indicates that Cincinnati Financial will most likely beat the consensus EPS estimate.
Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue?While calculating estimates for a company's future earnings, analysts often consider to what extent it has been able to match past consensus estimates. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number.
For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Cincinnati Financial would post earnings of $1.93 per share when it actually produced earnings of $2.10, delivering a surprise of +8.81%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates four times.
Bottom LineAn earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss.
That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.
Cincinnati Financial appears a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release.
An Industry Player's Expected ResultsSelective Insurance (SIGI - Free Report) , another stock in the Zacks Insurance - Property and Casualty industry, is expected to report earnings per share of $1.72 for the quarter ended June 2026. This estimate points to a year-over-year change of +31.3%. Revenues for the quarter are expected to be $1.36 billion, up 3% from the year-ago quarter.
Over the last 30 days, the consensus EPS estimate for Selective Insurance has remained unchanged. Nevertheless, the company now has an Earnings ESP of +10.92%, reflecting a higher Most Accurate Estimate.
This Earnings ESP, combined with its Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), suggests that Selective Insurance will most likely beat the consensus EPS estimate. Over the last four quarters, the company surpassed EPS estimates just once.
Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar.
California Public Employees Retirement System reduced its holdings in shares of Cincinnati Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:CINF – Free Report) by 9.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 360,609 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 36,254 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned approximately 0.23% of Cincinnati Financial worth $56,742,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bison Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Cincinnati Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $210,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 19,112 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,823,000 after buying an additional 525 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 43.9% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 567,894 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $83,889,000 after buying an additional 173,343 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Cincinnati Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at $101,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 10.8% in the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 47,774 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $7,115,000 after buying an additional 4,674 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.24% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes CINF has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $201.00 price target (up from $191.00) on shares of Cincinnati Financial in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Atlantic Securities set a $197.00 price objective on shares of Cincinnati Financial in a research note on Wednesday. Roth Capital raised their price objective on Cincinnati Financial from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Cincinnati Financial from $175.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Cincinnati Financial from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $192.40.
Read Our Latest Report on Cincinnati Financial
Cincinnati Financial Price Performance CINF stock opened at $180.79 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $27.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.70 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $171.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $165.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28. Cincinnati Financial Corporation has a 12 month low of $143.87 and a 12 month high of $194.81.
Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The insurance provider reported $2.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.93 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $2.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.61 billion. Cincinnati Financial had a net margin of 21.33% and a return on equity of 10.57%. Cincinnati Financial’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.24) EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Cincinnati Financial Corporation will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current year.
Cincinnati Financial Dividend Announcement The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.94 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 23rd. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Cincinnati Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 21.50%.
About Cincinnati Financial (Free Report)
Cincinnati Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: CINF) is an insurance holding company headquartered in the Cincinnati area of Ohio that provides property and casualty insurance products and related services. Founded as part of the Cincinnati Insurance group, the company operates through a set of insurance subsidiaries to underwrite and service policies for both personal and commercial customers. Cincinnati Financial is publicly traded and emphasizes underwriting discipline and long-term relationships with its distribution partners and policyholders.
The company’s core business centers on property and casualty insurance, including homeowners, automobile, commercial casualty, commercial multi-peril, and specialty commercial coverages.
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Getting big returns from financial portfolios, whether through stocks, bonds, ETFs, other securities, or a combination of all, is an investor's dream. But when you're an income investor, your primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments.
While cash flow can come from bond interest or interest from other types of investments, income investors hone in on dividends. A dividend is the distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders; it's often viewed by its dividend yield, a metric that measures a dividend as a percent of the current stock price. Many academic studies show that dividends make up large portions of long-term returns, and in many cases, dividend contributions surpass one-third of total returns.
Based in Fairfield, Cincinnati Financial (CINF - Free Report) is in the Finance sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 7.94%. The insurer is paying out a dividend of $0.94 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 2.13% compared to the Insurance - Property and Casualty industry's yield of 0.77% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.32%.
Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $3.76 is up 8% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Cincinnati Financial has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 8.39%. Looking ahead, future dividend growth will be dependent on earnings growth and payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Cincinnati Financial's current payout ratio is 37%, meaning it paid out 37% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Earnings growth looks solid for CINF for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 is $8.76 per share, with earnings expected to increase 10.19% from the year ago period.
From greatly improving stock investing profits and reducing overall portfolio risk to providing tax advantages, investors like dividends for a variety of different reasons. But, not every company offers a quarterly payout.
Big, established firms that have more secure profits are often seen as the best dividend options, but it's fairly uncommon to see high-growth businesses or tech start-ups offer their stockholders a dividend. Income investors have to be mindful of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, CINF presents a compelling investment opportunity; it's not only an attractive dividend play, but the stock also boasts a strong Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
It doesn't matter your age or experience: taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for all investors. Luckily, Zacks Premium offers several different ways to do both.
Featuring daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, the research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor.
It also includes access to the Zacks Style Scores.
What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores, developed alongside the Zacks Rank, are complementary indicators that rate stocks based on three widely-followed investing methodologies; they also help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.
Based on their value, growth, and momentum characteristics, each stock is assigned a rating of A, B, C, D, or F. The better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform; an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on.
The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:
Value ScoreFor value investors, it's all about finding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value before the broader market catches on. The Value Style Score utilizes ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to help pick out the most attractive and discounted stocks.
Growth ScoreWhile good value is important, growth investors are more focused on a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score takes projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow into account to uncover stocks that will see long-term, sustainable growth.
Momentum ScoreMomentum investors, who live by the saying "the trend is your friend," are most interested in taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Utilizing one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, among other factors, the Momentum Style Score can help determine favorable times to buy high-momentum stocks.
VGM ScoreIf you like to use all three kinds of investing, then the VGM Score is for you. It's a combination of all Style Scores, and is an important indicator to use with the Zacks Rank. The VGM Score rates each stock on their shared weighted styles, narrowing down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.
How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank, which is a proprietary stock-rating model, employs earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to make building a winning portfolio easier.
Investors can count on the Zacks Rank's success, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +23.94% average annual return since 1988, more than double the S&P 500's performance. But the model rates a large number of stocks, and there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.
This totals more than 800 top-rated stocks, and it can be overwhelming to try and pick the best stocks for you and your portfolio.
That's where the Style Scores come in.
You want to make sure you're buying stocks with the highest likelihood of success, and to do that, you'll need to pick stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you like a stock that only has a #3 (Hold) rank, it should also have Scores of A or B to guarantee as much upside potential as possible.
Since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank, the direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy.
Here's an example: a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one with Style Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings outlook, and a bigger chance its share price will decrease too.
Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.
Stock to Watch: Cincinnati Financial (CINF - Free Report) Cincinnati Financial Corporation, formed in 1968 with its headquarters in Fairfield, OH, markets property and casualty insurance. Cincinnati Financial owns three subsidiaries: The Cincinnati Insurance Company, CSU Producer Resources Inc. and CFC Investment Company. In addition, the parent company has an investment portfolio. The Cincinnati Insurance Company owns four additional insurance subsidiaries. The standard market property casualty insurance group includes two of those subsidiaries – The Cincinnati Casualty Company and The Cincinnati Indemnity Company. This group writes a broad range of business, homeowner and auto policies. The Cincinnati Insurance Company also conducts the business of our reinsurance assumed operations, known as Cincinnati Re. Other subsidiaries of The Cincinnati Insurance Company include: The Cincinnati Life Insurance Company providing life insurance policies and fixed annuities and The Cincinnati Specialty Underwriters Insurance Company offering excess and surplus lines insurance products.
CINF is a #2 (Buy) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of A.
It also boasts a Value Style Score of B thanks to attractive valuation metrics like a forward P/E ratio of 19.69; value investors should take notice.
For fiscal 2026, two analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.10 to $8.76 per share. CINF boasts an average earnings surprise of +27.5%.
With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Value and VGM Style Scores, CINF should be on investors' short list.
If you are looking for a stock that has a solid history of beating earnings estimates and is in a good position to maintain the trend in its next quarterly report, you should consider Cincinnati Financial (CINF - Free Report) . This company, which is in the Zacks Insurance - Property and Casualty industry, shows potential for another earnings beat.
When looking at the last two reports, this insurer has recorded a strong streak of surpassing earnings estimates. The company has topped estimates by 13.32%, on average, in the last two quarters.
For the last reported quarter, Cincinnati Financial came out with earnings of $2.1 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.93 per share, representing a surprise of 8.81%. For the previous quarter, the company was expected to post earnings of $2.86 per share and it actually produced earnings of $3.37 per share, delivering a surprise of 17.83%.
Price and EPS Surprise
Thanks in part to this history, there has been a favorable change in earnings estimates for Cincinnati Financial lately. In fact, the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the stock is positive, which is a great indicator of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with its solid Zacks Rank.
Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven.
The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.
Cincinnati Financial has an Earnings ESP of +8.84% at the moment, suggesting that analysts have grown bullish on its near-term earnings potential. When you combine this positive Earnings ESP with the stock's Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), it shows that another beat is possibly around the corner. The company's next earnings report is expected to be released on July 27, 2026.
When the Earnings ESP comes up negative, investors should note that this will reduce the predictive power of the metric. But, a negative value is not indicative of a stock's earnings miss.
Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, though this is not the only reason why their shares gain. Additionally, some stocks may remain stable even if they end up missing the consensus estimate.
Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.
Taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for new and old investors, and Zacks Premium offers many different ways to do both.
The popular research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor, giving you access to daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens.
It also includes access to the Zacks Style Scores.
What are the Zacks Style Scores? Developed alongside the Zacks Rank, the Zacks Style Scores are a group of complementary indicators that help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.
Each stock is given an alphabetic rating of A, B, C, D or F based on their value, growth, and momentum qualities. With this system, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on, meaning the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform.
The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:
Value ScoreValue investors love finding good stocks at good prices, especially before the broader market catches on to a stock's true value. Utilizing ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and many other multiples, the Value Style Score identifies the most attractive and most discounted stocks.
Growth ScoreWhile good value is important, growth investors are more focused on a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score takes projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow into account to uncover stocks that will see long-term, sustainable growth.
Momentum ScoreMomentum trading is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook, and these investors live by the saying "the trend is your friend." The Momentum Style Score can pinpoint good times to build a position in a stock, using factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates.
VGM ScoreIf you like to use all three kinds of investing, then the VGM Score is for you. It's a combination of all Style Scores, and is an important indicator to use with the Zacks Rank. The VGM Score rates each stock on their shared weighted styles, narrowing down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.
How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank, which is a proprietary stock-rating model, employs earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to make building a winning portfolio easier.
Investors can count on the Zacks Rank's success, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +23.94% average annual return since 1988, more than double the S&P 500's performance. But the model rates a large number of stocks, and there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.
With more than 800 top-rated stocks to choose from, it can certainly feel overwhelming to pick the ones that are right for you and your investing journey.
That's where the Style Scores come in.
To have the best chance of big returns, you'll want to always consider stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B, which will give you the highest probability of success. If you're looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, it's important they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible.
Since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank, the direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy.
Here's an example: a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one with Style Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings outlook, and a bigger chance its share price will decrease too.
Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.
Stock to Watch: Cincinnati Financial (CINF - Free Report) Cincinnati Financial Corporation, formed in 1968 with its headquarters in Fairfield, OH, markets property and casualty insurance. Cincinnati Financial owns three subsidiaries: The Cincinnati Insurance Company, CSU Producer Resources Inc. and CFC Investment Company. In addition, the parent company has an investment portfolio. The Cincinnati Insurance Company owns four additional insurance subsidiaries. The standard market property casualty insurance group includes two of those subsidiaries – The Cincinnati Casualty Company and The Cincinnati Indemnity Company. This group writes a broad range of business, homeowner and auto policies. The Cincinnati Insurance Company also conducts the business of our reinsurance assumed operations, known as Cincinnati Re. Other subsidiaries of The Cincinnati Insurance Company include: The Cincinnati Life Insurance Company providing life insurance policies and fixed annuities and The Cincinnati Specialty Underwriters Insurance Company offering excess and surplus lines insurance products.
CINF is a #2 (Buy) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of A.
Additionally, the company could be a top pick for growth investors. CINF has a Growth Style Score of B, forecasting year-over-year earnings growth of 9.4% for the current fiscal year.
For fiscal 2026, one analyst revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.04 to $8.70 per share. CINF boasts an average earnings surprise of +27.5%.
With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Growth and VGM Style Scores, CINF should be on investors' short list.
Ke konci obchodní seance se mírně přelil kapitál z čipových společností do klasických technologických. Přesto společnosti jako AMD + 5,67 %, Micron +4,39 %, či Broadcom +3,2 % končí výrazně v zeleném a čipový sektor táhl celý trh. Společnosti SpaceX se podařilo dostat opět nad otevírací cenu po IPO a přidala dnes +2,65 %.
Sektor spotřebního zboží dnes táhly dolů akcie PepsiCo, která po ne příliš oslnivých výsledcích odepsala nakonec -3,26 %. V kladných hodnotách se udržely i kryptoměny, kdy Bitcoin přidal +1,8 %.
Na opačné straně stála cena ropy, kde WTI propadl o -2,22 %, a to z důvodu mírného uklidnění situace v Íránu.
Index Dow Jones +0,27 % na 52487,38 b.
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Nasdaq Composite +1,3 % na 26206,89 b.
Index S&P 500 +0,81 % na 7543,54 b. Nejsilnější sektory S&P Změna Nejslabší sektory S&P Změna Informační technologie +1,6 % Nezbytná spotřeba -1,8 % Zbytná spotřeba +1,5 % Energie -1,6 % Finanční sektor +1 % Utility -0,5 % Nejsilnější akcie S&P Změna Nejslabší akcie S&P Změna Lumentum Holdings (LITE) +11 % APA Corp (APA) -5,1 % Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) +9,9 % Paramount Skydance Corp (PSKY) -4,3 % Fedex Freight Holding (FDXF) +7,6 % Costco Wholesale Corp (COST) -4,2 % Sandisk Corp (SNDK) +7,6 % Cincinnati Financial Corp (CINF) -3,4 % Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) +7,0 % PepsiCo (PEP) -3,3 %
Jan Pazourek, Fio banka, a.s.
Resources Investor Relations Journalists Agencies Client Login Send a Release News Products Contact , /PRNewswire/ -- Cincinnati Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: CINF) plans to release its second-quarter 2026 results on Monday, July 27, 2026, after the close of regular trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
The company will hold a conference call to discuss second-quarter 2026 results on Tuesday, July 28, at 11 a.m. ET. To access the call webcast, please visit investors.cinfin.com. A replay will be available approximately two hours after the event's completion.
About Cincinnati Financial Corporation:
Cincinnati Financial Corporation offers primarily business, home and auto insurance through The Cincinnati Insurance Company and its two standard market property casualty companies. The same local independent insurance agencies that market those policies may offer products of our other subsidiaries, including life insurance, fixed annuities and surplus lines property and casualty insurance. For additional information about the company, please visit cinfin.com.
Key Takeaways CINF benefits from Commercial Lines growth, disciplined underwriting and strong agency relationships.Specialty, Personal Lines and pricing initiatives support diversified earnings and profitable premium growth. Cincinnati Financial generates strong cash flow while rewarding shareholders through dividends and buybacks. Cincinnati Financial Corporation’s (CINF - Free Report) shares have risen 31.3% in a year, outperforming the industry’s growth of 7.2%. Its share price closed at $192.03 on Thursday and reached a 52-week high of $192.09, reflecting investor confidence.
Strong underwriting performance, healthy premium growth, improved pricing and higher investment income, along with a robust capital position, have increased investors' confidence. The company has surpassed earnings estimates in each of the last four quarters, with an average of 27.5%. While its premium valuation may limit multiple expansion, continued underwriting discipline, healthy premium growth and improving investment income should support long-term earnings growth.
Cincinnati Financial’s shares have outperformed its peers, including Arch Capital Group Ltd. (ACGL - Free Report) and W.R. Berkley Corporation (WRB - Free Report) , which have gained 14.3% and 1.9%, respectively, while Palomar Holdings, Inc. (PLMR - Free Report) has lost 3.7% in a year.
1-Year Price Performance: CINF, ACGL, WRB, PLMR & Industry
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
CINF’s Premium ValuationCincinnati Financial’s shares are trading at a premium to the industry. Its price-to-book value of 1.89X is higher than the industry average of 1.5X. However, it has a Value Score of B.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
CINF’s Growth Projection EncouragesThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for Cincinnati Financial’s 2026 earnings per share (EPS) is pinned at $8.66, indicating a year-over-year increase of 8.9%. The estimate for 2026 revenues is pegged at $12.05 billion, implying a year-over-year improvement of 7.7%.
The consensus estimate for 2027 EPS and revenues indicates an increase of 4.9% and 6.6%, respectively, from the corresponding 2026 estimates.
The expected long-term earnings growth is pegged at 5.3%. It has a Growth Score of B.
CINF’s Higher Return on EquityReturn on equity in the trailing-12 months was 10.6%, better than the industry average of 7.4%. This highlights the company’s efficiency in utilizing shareholders’ funds.
Factors Acting in Favor of CINFCincinnati Financial’s Commercial Lines Insurance segment has been consistently witnessing growth over the past several quarters, led by disciplined pricing, policy-level risk selection and strong independent agency relationships. The company continues to leverage its agency-centric model to expand Commercial Lines through deeper agency relationships, expand its product offerings and drive profitable premium growth. Its disciplined underwriting approach and focus on risk selection should continue to support Commercial Lines' profitability despite a moderating pricing environment.
Cincinnati Financial continues to strengthen its diversified insurance platform through pricing discipline and targeted growth initiatives. Management expects property and casualty underwriting results to benefit from continued price increases and the expansion of Cincinnati Re and Cincinnati Global, which enhance pricing precision, broaden product offerings and improve income stability.
The Excess & Surplus (E&S) business continues to benefit from strong new business, favorable renewal pricing and product expansion. Meanwhile, Personal Lines remains a key growth driver, which is supported by the Cincinnati Private Client business, higher renewal pricing and geographic diversification. These businesses diversify earnings, reduce volatility and support long-term profitable growth.
Net investment income increased 14% year over year in the first quarter of 2026, driven by higher reinvestment yields, growth in fixed-income investments, and robust operating cash flows, which more than doubled year over year to $656 million in the first quarter of 2026. Backed by a large, high-quality investment portfolio, these factors continue to provide a meaningful earnings tailwind alongside underwriting operations.
Cincinnati Financial’s expansion strategy is driven by its exclusive partnerships with local, independent insurance agencies. This relationship-based model fosters strong customer loyalty, high retention rates and consistent business growth. As the insurer expands its agency network into underserved markets, it remains well-positioned to drive sustainable premium growth, deepen market penetration and create long-term shareholder value.
Cincinnati Financial has returned capital to its shareholders through share buybacks, dividend hikes and special dividends. It has an excellent track record of raising dividends for 65 straight years. Its dividend yield of 2.% is better than the industry average of 0.3%, making the stock an attractive pick for yield-seeking investors.
Risks for CINF StockCincinnati Financial’s results remain sensitive to catastrophe activity, particularly in property lines, and severity can vary sharply by period. Although reinsurance provides protection, elevated catastrophe losses could pressure underwriting margins.
Management continues to emphasize risk selection and segmentation, but rising loss costs, social inflation, larger jury awards and increasing claim severity could pressure profitability despite conservative reserves.
ConclusionStrong performance at the Commercial Lines segment, pricing discipline, agent-focused business models, higher investment income, consistent cash flow and prudent capital deployment support growth. However, exposure to catastrophe losses and loss-cost trends, including social inflation, remains a risk.
Higher return on equity, favorable growth estimates and an impressive dividend history should continue to benefit Cincinnati Financial over the long term. A VGM Score of A instils confidence. Given the premium valuation, it is wise to adopt a wait-and-see approach on this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Momentum investing is all about the idea of following a stock's recent trend, which can be in either direction. In the "long context," investors will essentially be "buying high, but hoping to sell even higher." And for investors following this methodology, taking advantage of trends in a stock's price is key; once a stock establishes a course, it is more than likely to continue moving in that direction. The goal is that once a stock heads down a fixed path, it will lead to timely and profitable trades.
Even though momentum is a popular stock characteristic, it can be tough to define. Debate surrounding which are the best and worst metrics to focus on is lengthy, but the Zacks Momentum Style Score, part of the Zacks Style Scores, helps address this issue for us.
Below, we take a look at Cincinnati Financial (CINF - Free Report) , a company that currently holds a Momentum Style Score of B. We also talk about price change and earnings estimate revisions, two of the main aspects of the Momentum Style Score.
It's also important to note that Style Scores work as a complement to the Zacks Rank, our stock rating system that has an impressive track record of outperformance. Cincinnati Financial currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Our research shows that stocks rated Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and #2 (Buy) and Style Scores of "A or B" outperform the market over the following one-month period.
You can see the current list of Zacks #1 Rank Stocks here >>>
Set to Beat the Market?Let's discuss some of the components of the Momentum Style Score for CINF that show why this insurer shows promise as a solid momentum pick.
Looking at a stock's short-term price activity is a great way to gauge if it has momentum, since this can reflect both the current interest in a stock and if buyers or sellers have the upper hand at the moment. It's also helpful to compare a security to its industry; this can show investors the best companies in a particular area.
For CINF, shares are up 8.16% over the past week while the Zacks Insurance - Property and Casualty industry is up 6.19% over the same time period. Shares are looking quite well from a longer time frame too, as the monthly price change of 19.53% compares favorably with the industry's 14.37% performance as well.
While any stock can see a spike in price, it takes a real winner to consistently outperform the market. Over the past quarter, shares of Cincinnati Financial have risen 17.13%, and are up 29.24% in the last year. On the other hand, the S&P 500 has only moved 13.88% and 21.37%, respectively.
Investors should also pay attention to CINF's average 20-day trading volume. Volume is a useful item in many ways, and the 20-day average establishes a good price-to-volume baseline; a rising stock with above average volume is generally a bullish sign, whereas a declining stock on above average volume is typically bearish. CINF is currently averaging 862,138 shares for the last 20 days.
Earnings OutlookThe Zacks Momentum Style Score also takes into account trends in estimate revisions, in addition to price changes. Please note that estimate revision trends remain at the core of Zacks Rank as well. A nice path here can help show promise, and we have recently been seeing that with CINF.
Over the past two months, 1 earnings estimate moved higher compared to none lower for the full year. This revision helped boost CINF's consensus estimate, increasing from $8.64 to $8.66 in the past 60 days. Looking at the next fiscal year, 1 estimate has moved upwards while there have been no downward revisions in the same time period.
Bottom LineTaking into account all of these elements, it should come as no surprise that CINF is a #2 (Buy) stock with a Momentum Score of B. If you've been searching for a fresh pick that's set to rise in the near-term, make sure to keep Cincinnati Financial on your short list.
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Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF | CINF Price Prediction) just sent another quarterly check to shareholders, extending one of the most remarkable streaks in American business. The Ohio-based property and casualty insurer declared a quarterly cash dividend of 94 cents per share, payable July 15, to shareholders of record as of June 23. That payout represents an 8% increase over the prior year quarterly rate of 87 cents, keeping the company firmly inside the elite Dividend King club with 65 consecutive years of hikes.
What makes this raise notable is the context. A year ago, this streak looked vulnerable. Now it looks bulletproof. Here is the scorecard, and why the dividend keeps rising even after the closest call in decades.
The Dividend Scorecard: Grade A Cincinnati Financial earns an A on the dividend report card, and the math behind that grade is straightforward.
Yield: Roughly 2% at current prices, modest but consistent with high-quality compounders. Growth streak: 65 consecutive years of increases, putting CINF among fewer than a dozen U.S. public companies with this distinction. Latest hike: 8%, well above the rate of inflation and the long-run average raise. Payout coverage: Trailing EPS of $17.49 against an annualized dividend of $3.55 leaves the dividend deeply covered by earnings. Valuation: Trailing P/E of 11, with a price-to-book ratio of 1.81. The only soft spot is the headline yield. At a stock price of around $191, CINF does not scream income. But Dividend Kings are compounding machines, and the total return profile bears that out.
How Close The Streak Came To Cracking The 65-year run was tested hard in early 2025. The California wildfires became the worst catastrophe loss in company history, and the damage showed up in the financials. Cincinnati Financial reported a net loss of $90 million in Q1 2025, with non-GAAP operating income flipping to a $37 million loss. Personal lines combined ratios blew out. The narrative around the stock shifted from compounder to catastrophe story.
One year later, the picture has completely flipped. Q1 2026 net income came in at $274 million, and non-GAAP operating income hit $330 million. CEO Stephen Spray summarized it plainly on the call: “Non-GAAP operating income was strong at $330 million for the quarter compared with an operating loss of $37 million a year ago.”
EPS of $2.10 beat the $1.94 estimate, and revenue grew 12% year over year to $2.86 billion.
Why The Dividend Keeps Rising: Three Pillars 1. Underwriting discipline that actually works: The Q1 2026 property casualty combined ratio improved by 18 percentage points to 96%. The accident year ex-catastrophe combined ratio of 88% is the kind of number that funds dividend hikes for years. Full-year 2025 closed with a 95% combined ratio, marking 14 consecutive years of underwriting profit.
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2. An investment portfolio that finally has wind at its back: Pretax investment income grew 14% in Q1 2026. The fixed-maturity portfolio earned a pretax yield of 5%, and new purchases hit a 5% yield. With $624 million of fixed-maturity purchases in the quarter, the income stream is compounding at higher reinvestment rates than the portfolio has seen in years.
3. A fortress balance sheet: Book value per share ended Q1 at $101.60, parent company cash and marketable securities sat at $5.6 billion and debt-to-total capital remained under 10%. CFO Michael Sewell put it directly: “We believe both our financial flexibility and our financial strength are in great shape.”
The company also returned $133 million in dividends and repurchased 1.1 million shares at an average price of $164.93 during the quarter, signaling management’s willingness to buy its own stock around current levels.
Total Return: The Real Story Investors who fixate on the modest yield miss the bigger picture. CINF is up more than 18% this year and nearly 31% over the past year, well ahead of the S&P 500’s 21% and 9% over those same windows. Over 10 years, CINF has returned more than 152% in price alone, before dividends are added back. On Thursday, the stock set a new 52-week high of $191.83.
Risks Investors Should Watch The streak is intact, but the underwriting environment is shifting. Commercial lines combined ratio deteriorated 7 points to 99% in Q1 2026, and personal lines new business premiums fell 40%. Spray called out the pressure on the call: “We are definitely seeing pressure. The larger the premium, the larger the account, the more pressure there is.”
Social inflation and legal system abuse remain a structural risk for casualty insurers. And with consumer sentiment sitting at 44.8 in May 2026, the macro backdrop is shakier than the underwriting numbers suggest.
The Bottom Line Cincinnati Financial nearly tripped on its 65-year dividend streak in 2025 thanks to a once-in-a-company-history catastrophe. Twelve months later, the underwriting engine, the investment portfolio, and the balance sheet are all firing simultaneously. The latest 8% hike is a clear statement that management believes the worst is behind them. Income investors looking for a Dividend King they can hold through cycles have a fresh data point to anchor that thesis.
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A strong stock as of late has been Cincinnati Financial (CINF - Free Report) . Shares have been marching higher, with the stock up 18.5% over the past month. The stock hit a new 52-week high of $187.79 in the previous session. Cincinnati Financial has gained 14.6% since the start of the year compared to the 4.6% gain for the Zacks Finance sector and the 1.4% return for the Zacks Insurance - Property and Casualty industry.
What's Driving the Outperformance?The stock has a great record of positive earnings surprises, as it hasn't missed our earnings consensus estimate in any of the last four quarters. In its last earnings report on April 27, 2026, Cincinnati Financial reported EPS of $2.1 versus consensus estimate of $1.93.
For the current fiscal year, Cincinnati Financial is expected to post earnings of $8.66 per share on $12.05 in revenues. This represents a 8.93% change in EPS on a 7.68% change in revenues. For the next fiscal year, the company is expected to earn $9.08 per share on $12.84 in revenues. This represents a year-over-year change of 4.89% and 6.57%, respectively.
Valuation MetricsCincinnati Financial may be at a 52-week high right now, but what might the future hold for the stock? A key aspect of this question is taking a look at valuation metrics in order to determine if the company has run ahead of itself.
On this front, we can look at the Zacks Style Scores, as these give investors a variety of ways to comb through stocks (beyond looking at the Zacks Rank of a security). The individual style scores for Value, Growth, Momentum and the combined VGM Score run from A through F. Investors should consider the style scores a valuable tool that can help you to pick the most appropriate Zacks Rank stocks based on their individual investment style.
Cincinnati Financial has a Value Score of B. The stock's Growth and Momentum Scores are B and B, respectively, giving the company a VGM Score of A.
In terms of its value breakdown, the stock currently trades at 21.6X current fiscal year EPS estimates, which is a premium to the peer industry average of 11.9X. On a trailing cash flow basis, the stock currently trades at 20.5X versus its peer group's average of 10.3X. Additionally, the stock has a PEG ratio of 4.04. This isn't enough to put the company in the top echelon of all stocks we cover from a value perspective.
Zacks RankWe also need to look at the Zacks Rank for the stock, as this supersedes any trend on the style score front. Fortunately, Cincinnati Financial currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) thanks to favorable earnings estimate revisions from covering analysts.
Since we recommend that investors select stocks carrying Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and Style Scores of A or B, it looks as if Cincinnati Financial passes the test. Thus, it seems as though Cincinnati Financial shares could have potential in the weeks and months to come.
How Does CINF Stack Up to the Competition?Shares of CINF have been soaring, and the company still appears to be a decent choice, but what about the rest of the industry? One industry peer that looks good is Skyward Specialty Insurance Group, Inc. (SKWD - Free Report) . SKWD has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value Score of A, a Growth Score of C, and a Momentum Score of C.
Earnings were strong last quarter. Skyward Specialty Insurance Group, Inc. beat our consensus estimate by 19.05%, and for the current fiscal year, SKWD is expected to post earnings of $4.93 per share on revenue of $1.9 billion.
Shares of Skyward Specialty Insurance Group, Inc. have gained 39.3% over the past month, and currently trade at a forward P/E of 12.07X and a P/CF of 14.1X.
The Insurance - Property and Casualty industry is in the top 40% of all the industries we have in our universe, so it looks like there are some nice tailwinds for CINF and SKWD, even beyond their own solid fundamental situation.
Cincinnati Financial (CINF) witnessed a jump in share price last session on above-average trading volume. The latest trend in earnings estimate revisions for the stock doesn't suggest further strength down the road.
It doesn't matter your age or experience: taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for all investors. Luckily, Zacks Premium offers several different ways to do both.
The research service features daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, all of which will help you become a smarter, more confident investor.
It also includes access to the Zacks Style Scores.
What are the Zacks Style Scores? Developed alongside the Zacks Rank, the Zacks Style Scores are a group of complementary indicators that help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.
Each stock is given an alphabetic rating of A, B, C, D or F based on their value, growth, and momentum qualities. With this system, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on, meaning the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform.
The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:
Value ScoreFor value investors, it's all about finding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value before the broader market catches on. The Value Style Score utilizes ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to help pick out the most attractive and discounted stocks.
Growth ScoreGrowth investors are more concerned with a stock's future prospects, and the overall financial health and strength of a company. Thus, the Growth Style Score analyzes characteristics like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will see sustainable growth over time.
Momentum ScoreMomentum trading is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook, and these investors live by the saying "the trend is your friend." The Momentum Style Score can pinpoint good times to build a position in a stock, using factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates.
VGM ScoreIf you like to use all three kinds of investing, then the VGM Score is for you. It's a combination of all Style Scores, and is an important indicator to use with the Zacks Rank. The VGM Score rates each stock on their shared weighted styles, narrowing down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.
How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank, which is a proprietary stock-rating model, employs earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to make building a winning portfolio easier.
#1 (Strong Buy) stocks have produced an unmatched +24% average annual return since 1988, which is more than double the S&P 500's performance over the same time frame. However, the Zacks Rank examines a ton of stocks, and there can be more than 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, and another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.
But it can feel overwhelming to pick the right stocks for you and your investing goals with over 800 top-rated stocks to choose from.
That's where the Style Scores come in.
To maximize your returns, you want to buy stocks with the highest probability of success. This means picking stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you find yourself looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, make sure they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible.
As mentioned above, the Scores are designed to work with the Zacks Rank, so any change to a company's earnings outlook should be a deciding factor when picking which stocks to buy.
A stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, for instance, even one with Scores of A and B, will still have a declining earnings forecast, and a greater chance its share price will fall too.
Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.
Stock to Watch: Cincinnati Financial (CINF - Free Report) Cincinnati Financial Corporation, formed in 1968 with its headquarters in Fairfield, OH, markets property and casualty insurance. Cincinnati Financial owns three subsidiaries: The Cincinnati Insurance Company, CSU Producer Resources Inc. and CFC Investment Company. In addition, the parent company has an investment portfolio. The Cincinnati Insurance Company owns four additional insurance subsidiaries. The standard market property casualty insurance group includes two of those subsidiaries – The Cincinnati Casualty Company and The Cincinnati Indemnity Company. This group writes a broad range of business, homeowner and auto policies. The Cincinnati Insurance Company also conducts the business of our reinsurance assumed operations, known as Cincinnati Re. Other subsidiaries of The Cincinnati Insurance Company include: The Cincinnati Life Insurance Company providing life insurance policies and fixed annuities and The Cincinnati Specialty Underwriters Insurance Company offering excess and surplus lines insurance products.
CINF is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of A.
Momentum investors should take note of this Finance stock. CINF has a Momentum Style Score of B, and shares are up 9.5% over the past four weeks.
Five analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days for fiscal 2026. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.22 to $8.61 per share. CINF boasts an average earnings surprise of +27.5%.
With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Momentum and VGM Style Scores, CINF should be on investors' short list.
Investors with an interest in Insurance - Property and Casualty stocks have likely encountered both Essent Group (ESNT - Free Report) and Cincinnati Financial (CINF - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.
The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.
Right now, Essent Group is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Cincinnati Financial has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that ESNT's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.
Value investors analyze a variety of traditional, tried-and-true metrics to help find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.
The Value category of the Style Scores system identifies undervalued companies by looking at a number of key metrics. These include the long-favored P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that help us determine a company's fair value.
ESNT currently has a forward P/E ratio of 8.22, while CINF has a forward P/E of 19.96. We also note that ESNT has a PEG ratio of 1.65. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. CINF currently has a PEG ratio of 3.73.
Another notable valuation metric for ESNT is its P/B ratio of 0.98. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, CINF has a P/B of 1.69.
These metrics, and several others, help ESNT earn a Value grade of B, while CINF has been given a Value grade of C.
ESNT has seen stronger estimate revision activity and sports more attractive valuation metrics than CINF, so it seems like value investors will conclude that ESNT is the superior option right now.
Taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for new and old investors, and Zacks Premium offers many different ways to do both.
The popular research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor, giving you access to daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens.
Zacks Premium includes access to the Zacks Style Scores as well.
What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores is a unique set of guidelines that rates stocks based on three popular investing types, and were developed as complementary indicators for the Zacks Rank. This combination helps investors choose securities with the highest chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.
Each stock is given an alphabetic rating of A, B, C, D or F based on their value, growth, and momentum qualities. With this system, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on, meaning the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform.
The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:
Value ScoreFinding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value, are what value investors like to focus on. So, the Value Style Score takes into account ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to highlight the most attractive and discounted stocks.
Growth ScoreWhile good value is important, growth investors are more focused on a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score takes projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow into account to uncover stocks that will see long-term, sustainable growth.
Momentum ScoreMomentum trading is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook, and these investors live by the saying "the trend is your friend." The Momentum Style Score can pinpoint good times to build a position in a stock, using factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates.
VGM ScoreIf you like to use all three kinds of investing, then the VGM Score is for you. It's a combination of all Style Scores, and is an important indicator to use with the Zacks Rank. The VGM Score rates each stock on their shared weighted styles, narrowing down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.
How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank is a proprietary stock-rating model that harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to help investors build a successful portfolio.
It's highly successful, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +24% average annual return since 1988. That's more than double the S&P 500. But because of the large number of stocks we rate, there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.
This totals more than 800 top-rated stocks, and it can be overwhelming to try and pick the best stocks for you and your portfolio.
That's where the Style Scores come in.
To maximize your returns, you want to buy stocks with the highest probability of success. This means picking stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you find yourself looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, make sure they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible.
As mentioned above, the Scores are designed to work with the Zacks Rank, so any change to a company's earnings outlook should be a deciding factor when picking which stocks to buy.
A stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, for instance, even one with Scores of A and B, will still have a declining earnings forecast, and a greater chance its share price will fall too.
Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.
Stock to Watch: Cincinnati Financial (CINF - Free Report) Cincinnati Financial Corporation, formed in 1968 with its headquarters in Fairfield, OH, markets property and casualty insurance. Cincinnati Financial owns three subsidiaries: The Cincinnati Insurance Company, CSU Producer Resources Inc. and CFC Investment Company. In addition, the parent company has an investment portfolio. The Cincinnati Insurance Company owns four additional insurance subsidiaries. The standard market property casualty insurance group includes two of those subsidiaries – The Cincinnati Casualty Company and The Cincinnati Indemnity Company. This group writes a broad range of business, homeowner and auto policies. The Cincinnati Insurance Company also conducts the business of our reinsurance assumed operations, known as Cincinnati Re. Other subsidiaries of The Cincinnati Insurance Company include: The Cincinnati Life Insurance Company providing life insurance policies and fixed annuities and The Cincinnati Specialty Underwriters Insurance Company offering excess and surplus lines insurance products.
CINF is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of A.
It also boasts a Value Style Score of B thanks to attractive valuation metrics like a forward P/E ratio of 19.77; value investors should take notice.
For fiscal 2026, five analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.22 to $8.61 per share. CINF boasts an average earnings surprise of +27.5%.
With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Value and VGM Style Scores, CINF should be on investors' short list.
, /PRNewswire/ -- Cincinnati Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: CINF) – Cincinnati Financial Corporation's board of directors added a 15th seat, appointing Lisa M. Franchetti to the board and as a member of its audit committee, effective immediately.
Admiral Franchetti retired from the U.S. Navy in 2025, after a nearly 40-year career marked by leadership at every operational level, culminating in her service as the 33rd Chief of Naval Operations from November 2023 to February 2025. As Chief of Naval Operations, Franchetti led a force of more than 600,000 personnel, advanced the Navy's strategic modernization and warfighting readiness initiatives, and focused on fleet growth, emerging technologies and workforce development. She is the first woman to hold the role and to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Prior to becoming the Navy's top officer, she served as Vice Chief of Naval Operations and as Director for Strategy, Plans and Policy on the Joint Staff. Her career also includes command of the destroyer USS Ross, Destroyer Squadron 21, two carrier strike groups, U.S. Naval Forces Korea and the U.S. Sixth Fleet, where she oversaw complex joint operations.
Following her Navy career, she founded Franchetti Strategic Solutions LLC, a strategic consulting firm specializing in national security advising, global strategic planning and operational transformation strategies. Passionate about developing the next generation of leaders, she served as 2026 Fellow at the University of Chicago and will be a Distinguished Practitioner at Northwestern University in 2027.
Franchetti holds a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University, a master's degree from the University of Phoenix and is a Distinguished Graduate of the Naval War College.
Stephen M. Spray, president and chief executive officer, commented: "Lisa's extensive experience in strategic planning and leadership at the highest federal levels make her an ideal candidate for our board. I know she'll immediately bring a valuable perspective to board discussions as our directors work together to enhance the value we create for shareholders now and into the future."
About Cincinnati Financial
Cincinnati Financial Corporation offers primarily business, home and auto insurance through The Cincinnati Insurance Company and its two standard market property casualty companies. The same local independent insurance agencies that market those policies may offer products of our other subsidiaries, including life insurance, fixed annuities and surplus lines property and casualty insurance. For additional information about the company, please visit cinfin.com.
Mailing Address:
Street Address:
P.O. Box 145496
6200 South Gilmore Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45250-5496
Fairfield, Ohio 45014-5141
Safe Harbor
Our business is subject to certain risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements contained herein, are based upon our current estimates, assumptions and plans that are subject to uncertainty. These statements are made subject to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words like "seek," "expect," "will," "should," "could," "might," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend," "likely," "future," or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they were made; we assume no obligation to update such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:
Insurance-Related Risks
Risks and uncertainties associated with our loss reserves or actual claim costs exceeding reserves Increased frequency and/or severity of claims or development of claims that are unforeseen at the time of policy issuance Unusually high levels of catastrophe losses due to risk concentrations or changes in weather patterns, environmental events, war or political unrest, terrorism incidents, cyberattacks, civil unrest or other causes; and our ability to manage catastrophe risk Risks associated with analytical models in key areas such as underwriting, pricing, capital management, reserving, investments, reinsurance, and catastrophe risk management Inadequate estimates or assumptions, or reliance on third-party data used for critical accounting estimates Events or conditions that could weaken or harm our relationships with our independent agencies and hamper opportunities to add new agencies, resulting in limitations on our opportunities for growth Mergers, acquisitions, and other consolidations of agencies that result in a concentration of a significant amount of premium in one agency or agency group and/or alter our competitive advantages Our inability to manage business opportunities, growth prospects, and expenses for our ongoing operations Changing consumer insurance-buying habits The inability to obtain adequate ceded reinsurance on acceptable terms, for acceptable amounts, and from financially strong reinsurers; and the potential for nonpayment or delay in payment by reinsurers Domestic and global events, such as the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East, future pandemics, inflationary trends, changes in U.S. trade and tariff policy, and disruptions in the banking and financial services industry, resulting in insurance losses, capital market or credit market uncertainty, followed by prolonged periods of economic instability or recession, that lead to: Securities market disruption or volatility and related effects such as decreased economic activity and continued supply chain disruptions that affect our investment portfolio and book value Significant or prolonged decline in the fair value of securities and impairment of the assets Significant decline in investment income due to reduced or eliminated dividend payouts from securities Significant rise in losses from surety or director and officer policies written for financial institutions or other insured entities or in losses from policies written by Cincinnati Re or Cincinnati Global An unusually high level of claims in our insurance or reinsurance operations that increase litigation-related expenses Decreased premium revenue and cash flow from disruption to our distribution channel of independent agents, consumer self-isolation, travel limitations, business restrictions and decreased economic activity The inability of our workforce, agencies, or vendors to perform necessary business functions Financial, Economic, and Investment Risks
Declines in overall stock market values negatively affecting our equity portfolio and book value Downgrades in our financial strength ratings Interest rate fluctuations or other factors that could significantly affect: Our ability to generate growth in investment income Values of our fixed-maturity investments and accounts in which we hold bank-owned life insurance contract assets Our traditional life policy reserves Economic volatility and illiquidity associated with our alternative investments in private equity, private credit, real property, and limited partnerships Failure to comply with covenants and other requirements under our credit facilities, senior debt, and other debt obligations Recession, prolonged elevated inflation, or other economic conditions resulting in lower demand for insurance products or increased payment delinquencies The inability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends consistent with current or past levels impacting our ability to pay shareholder dividends or repurchase shares General Business, Technology, and Operational Risks
Ineffective information technology systems or failing to develop and implement improvements in technology Difficulties with technology or data security breaches, including cyberattacks, could negatively affect our, or our agents', ability to conduct business; disrupt our relationships with agents, policyholders, and others; cause reputational damage, mitigation expenses, data loss, and expose us to liability Difficulties with our operations and technology that may negatively impact our ability to conduct business, including cloud-based data information storage, data security, remote working capabilities, and/or outsourcing relationships and third-party operations and data security Disruption of the insurance market caused by technology innovations – such as driverless cars – that could decrease consumer demand for insurance products Delays, inadequate data developed internally or from third parties, or performance inadequacies from ongoing development and implementation of underwriting and pricing models and methods, including usage-based insurance methods, automation, artificial intelligence, or technology projects and enhancements expected to increase our efficiency, pricing accuracy, underwriting profit, and competitiveness Intense competition, and the impact of innovation, emerging technologies, artificial intelligence and changing customer preferences on the insurance industry and the markets in which we operate, could harm our ability to maintain or increase our business volumes and profitability Inability to defer policy acquisition costs for any business segment if pricing and loss trends would lead management to conclude that the segment could not achieve sustainable profitability Unforeseen departure of certain executive officers or other key employees that could interrupt progress toward important strategic goals or diminish the effectiveness of certain longstanding relationships with insurance agents and others Our inability, or the inability of our independent agents, to attract and retain personnel Events, such as a pandemic, an epidemic, natural catastrophe, or terrorism, which could hamper our ability to assemble our workforce, work effectively in a remote environment, or other failures of business continuity or disaster recovery programs Regulatory, Compliance, and Legal Risks
Actions of insurance departments, state attorneys general or other regulatory agencies, including a change to a federal system of regulation from a state-based system, that: Impose new obligations on us that increase our expenses or change the assumptions underlying our critical accounting estimates Place the insurance industry under greater regulatory scrutiny or result in new statutes, rules, and regulations Restrict our ability to exit or reduce writings of unprofitable coverages or lines of business Increase assessments for guaranty funds, other insurance‑related assessments, or mandatory reinsurance arrangements; or that impair our ability to recover such assessments through future surcharges or other rate changes Increase our provision for federal income taxes due to changes in tax laws, regulations, or interpretations Increase other expenses Limit our ability to set fair, adequate, and reasonable rates Restrict our ability to cancel policies Impose new underwriting standards Place us at a disadvantage in the marketplace Restrict our ability to execute our business model, including the way we compensate agents Adverse outcomes from litigation, environmental claims, mass torts or administrative proceedings, including effects of social inflation and third-party litigation funding on the size and frequency of litigation awards Events or actions, including unauthorized intentional circumvention of controls, which reduce our future ability to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 Effects of changing social, global, economic, and regulatory environments Additional measures affecting corporate financial reporting and governance that can affect the market value of our common stock Risks and uncertainties are further discussed in other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our 2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K, Item 1A, Risk Factors, Page 30.
, /PRNewswire/ -- Cincinnati Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: CINF) announced that John S. Kellington, chief information officer and executive vice president for its lead subsidiary, The Cincinnati Insurance Company, will retire August 7.
Kellington joined the company in 2010 as a proven insurance and technology leader. He transformed Cincinnati's information technology operations by championing an architecture-led IT model. The success of that model enabled the company to become a leader in agency interface services, including real time download and upload capabilities directly to an agency's management system. It also paved the way for innovative breakthroughs, such as the patented architecture platform behind the company's award-winning small business system – powered by CinergySM.
Ryan M. Osborn, vice president, Information Technology, will assume executive responsibility for the company's information technology teams. Osborn joined Cincinnati Insurance in 2000. Throughout his 26-year career with the company, he's been consistently recognized for his technical excellence and strong communication abilities. Osborn quickly advanced through the ranks, playing key leadership roles in maturing the company's architecture program, reducing technical debt, strengthening standards and roadmaps, and accelerating modernization through the implementation of both Agile and DevOps process models.
Stephen M. Spray, president and chief executive officer, commented: "John led an outstanding transformation of our IT organization, and I'm grateful for the energy and dedication he's given to Cincinnati Insurance over the past 16 years. By focusing on shared enterprise capabilities, he enabled our technology team to solve many challenges created by the complexity of our industry and to deliver technology advancements with incredible speed and accuracy."
"We wanted a technology leader who understood the standards and governance mechanisms that underpin that system," continued Spray. "Ryan's experience in laying the groundwork for many of our project management and architecture standards make him the ideal candidate to drive the next evolution of our technology teams. He has a clear vision of what it will take to meet the ever-increasing demands of our business."
"Understanding that the retirement of key leaders is part of the natural course of business, we've established succession planning processes to facilitate smooth transitions. John and Ryan will work through that process together to ensure we don't miss a beat in delivering on key IT projects already underway," concluded Spray.
About Cincinnati Financial
Cincinnati Financial Corporation offers primarily business, home and auto insurance, our main business, through The Cincinnati Insurance Company and its two standard market property casualty companies. The same local independent insurance agencies that market those policies may offer products of our other subsidiaries, including life insurance, fixed annuities and surplus lines property and casualty insurance. For additional information about the company, please visit cinfin.com.
Mailing Address:
Street Address:
P.O. Box 145496
6200 South Gilmore Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45250-5496
Fairfield, Ohio 45014-5141
Safe Harbor Statement
Our business is subject to certain risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements contained herein, are based upon our current estimates, assumptions and plans that are subject to uncertainty. These statements are made subject to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words like "seek," "expect," "will," "should," "could," "might," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend," "likely," "future," or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they were made; we assume no obligation to update such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:
Insurance-Related Risks
Risks and uncertainties associated with our loss reserves or actual claim costs exceeding reserves Increased frequency and/or severity of claims or development of claims that are unforeseen at the time of policy issuance Unusually high levels of catastrophe losses due to risk concentrations or changes in weather patterns, environmental events, war or political unrest, terrorism incidents, cyberattacks, civil unrest or other causes; and our ability to manage catastrophe risk Risks associated with analytical models in key areas such as underwriting, pricing, capital management, reserving, investments, reinsurance, and catastrophe risk management Inadequate estimates or assumptions, or reliance on third-party data used for critical accounting estimates Events or conditions that could weaken or harm our relationships with our independent agencies and hamper opportunities to add new agencies, resulting in limitations on our opportunities for growth Mergers, acquisitions, and other consolidations of agencies that result in a concentration of a significant amount of premium in one agency or agency group and/or alter our competitive advantages Our inability to manage business opportunities, growth prospects, and expenses for our ongoing operations Changing consumer insurance-buying habits The inability to obtain adequate ceded reinsurance on acceptable terms, for acceptable amounts, and from financially strong reinsurers; and the potential for nonpayment or delay in payment by reinsurers Domestic and global events, such as the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East, future pandemics, inflationary trends, changes in U.S. trade and tariff policy, and disruptions in the banking and financial services industry, resulting in insurance losses, capital market or credit market uncertainty, followed by prolonged periods of economic instability or recession, that lead to: Securities market disruption or volatility and related effects such as decreased economic activity and continued supply chain disruptions that affect our investment portfolio and book value Significant or prolonged decline in the fair value of securities and impairment of the assets Significant decline in investment income due to reduced or eliminated dividend payouts from securities Significant rise in losses from surety or director and officer policies written for financial institutions or other insured entities or in losses from policies written by Cincinnati Re or Cincinnati Global An unusually high level of claims in our insurance or reinsurance operations that increase litigation-related expenses Decreased premium revenue and cash flow from disruption to our distribution channel of independent agents, consumer self-isolation, travel limitations, business restrictions and decreased economic activity The inability of our workforce, agencies, or vendors to perform necessary business functions Financial, Economic, and Investment Risks
Declines in overall stock market values negatively affecting our equity portfolio and book value Downgrades in our financial strength ratings Interest rate fluctuations or other factors that could significantly affect: Our ability to generate growth in investment income Values of our fixed-maturity investments and accounts in which we hold bank-owned life insurance contract assets Our traditional life policy reserves Economic volatility and illiquidity associated with our alternative investments in private equity, private credit, real property, and limited partnerships Failure to comply with covenants and other requirements under our credit facilities, senior debt, and other debt obligations Recession, prolonged elevated inflation, or other economic conditions resulting in lower demand for insurance products or increased payment delinquencies The inability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends consistent with current or past levels impacting our ability to pay shareholder dividends or repurchase shares General Business, Technology, and Operational Risks
Ineffective information technology systems or failing to develop and implement improvements in technology Difficulties with technology or data security breaches, including cyberattacks, could negatively affect our, or our agents', ability to conduct business; disrupt our relationships with agents, policyholders, and others; cause reputational damage, mitigation expenses, data loss, and expose us to liability Difficulties with our operations and technology that may negatively impact our ability to conduct business, including cloud-based data information storage, data security, remote working capabilities, and/or outsourcing relationships and third-party operations and data security Disruption of the insurance market caused by technology innovations – such as driverless cars – that could decrease consumer demand for insurance products Delays, inadequate data developed internally or from third parties, or performance inadequacies from ongoing development and implementation of underwriting and pricing models and methods, including usage-based insurance methods, automation, artificial intelligence, or technology projects and enhancements expected to increase our efficiency, pricing accuracy, underwriting profit, and competitiveness Intense competition, and the impact of innovation, emerging technologies, artificial intelligence and changing customer preferences on the insurance industry and the markets in which we operate, could harm our ability to maintain or increase our business volumes and profitability Inability to defer policy acquisition costs for any business segment if pricing and loss trends would lead management to conclude that the segment could not achieve sustainable profitability Unforeseen departure of certain executive officers or other key employees that could interrupt progress toward important strategic goals or diminish the effectiveness of certain longstanding relationships with insurance agents and others Our inability, or the inability of our independent agents, to attract and retain personnel Events, such as a pandemic, an epidemic, natural catastrophe, or terrorism, which could hamper our ability to assemble our workforce, work effectively in a remote environment, or other failures of business continuity or disaster recovery programs Regulatory, Compliance, and Legal Risks
Actions of insurance departments, state attorneys general or other regulatory agencies, including a change to a federal system of regulation from a state-based system, that: Impose new obligations on us that increase our expenses or change the assumptions underlying our critical accounting estimates Place the insurance industry under greater regulatory scrutiny or result in new statutes, rules, and regulations Restrict our ability to exit or reduce writings of unprofitable coverages or lines of business Increase assessments for guaranty funds, other insurance‑related assessments, or mandatory reinsurance arrangements; or that impair our ability to recover such assessments through future surcharges or other rate changes Increase our provision for federal income taxes due to changes in tax laws, regulations, or interpretations Increase other expenses Limit our ability to set fair, adequate, and reasonable rates Restrict our ability to cancel policies Impose new underwriting standards Place us at a disadvantage in the marketplace Restrict our ability to execute our business model, including the way we compensate agents Adverse outcomes from litigation, environmental claims, mass torts or administrative proceedings, including effects of social inflation and third-party litigation funding on the size and frequency of litigation awards Events or actions, including unauthorized intentional circumvention of controls, which reduce our future ability to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 Effects of changing social, global, economic, and regulatory environments Additional measures affecting corporate financial reporting and governance that can affect the market value of our common stock Risks and uncertainties are further discussed in other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our 2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K, Item 1A, Risk Factors, Page 30.
All investors love getting big returns from their portfolio, whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities. However, when you're an income investor, your primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments.
While cash flow can come from bond interest or interest from other types of investments, income investors hone in on dividends. A dividend is the distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders; it's often viewed by its dividend yield, a metric that measures a dividend as a percent of the current stock price. Many academic studies show that dividends account for significant portions of long-term returns, with dividend contributions exceeding one-third of total returns in many cases.
Headquartered in Fairfield, Cincinnati Financial (CINF - Free Report) is a Finance stock that has seen a price change of 3.48% so far this year. The insurer is currently shelling out a dividend of $0.94 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.22%. This compares to the Insurance - Property and Casualty industry's yield of 0.76% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.41%.
Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $3.76 is up 8% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Cincinnati Financial has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 8.39%. Looking ahead, future dividend growth will be dependent on earnings growth and payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Cincinnati Financial's current payout ratio is 37%, meaning it paid out 37% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Looking at this fiscal year, CINF expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 is $8.61 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 8.30%.
Investors like dividends for many reasons; they greatly improve stock investing profits, decrease overall portfolio risk, and carry tax advantages, among others. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide a quarterly payout.
High-growth firms or tech start-ups, for example, rarely provide their shareholders a dividend, while larger, more established companies that have more secure profits are often seen as the best dividend options. Income investors must be conscious of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, CINF is a compelling investment opportunity. Not only is it a strong dividend play, but the stock currently sits at a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Cincinnati Financial Corporation reported improved Q1 2026 results, but profitability remains structurally weak with ROE below the cost of equity. CINF's underwriting profitability lags peers, making earnings more exposed to volatile investment income, especially due to its aggressive equity allocation. The stock trades at a premium valuation (1.6x book), which appears stretched given its high single-digit ROE and sector comparisons.
WTW Q1 results reflect solid performance across both segments, growth in the Investments business, an increase in adjusted operating income and expanded margin.
CINCINNATI, Ohio, May 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Cincinnati Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: CINF) today announced that based on preliminary voting results at the company's annual meeting on May 2, 2026, shareholders elected all directors for one-year terms to the 14-member board. Shareholders also approved the Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation, the nonbinding resolution to approve the compensation for the company's named executive officers and ratified the selection of Deloitte & Touche LLP as independent registered public accounting firm for 2026.
CINCINNATI, Ohio, May 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Cincinnati Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: CINF) announced that at its regular meeting on May 2, 2026, the board of directors declared a 94 cents-per-share regular quarterly cash dividend. The dividend is payable July 15, 2026, to shareholders of record as of June 23, 2026.
