BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Has $137.63 Million Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. increased its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 72.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,335,594 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 559,019 shares during the quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. owned approximately 0.45% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $137,633,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. CVA Family Office LLC bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. raised its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 189.9% in the 4th quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 374 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First United Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In related news, CFO Beth Ann Costello sold 72,076 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.71, for a total transaction of $7,186,697.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 69,169 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,896,840.99. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, EVP Jonathan R. Bennett sold 18,335 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.78, for a total value of $1,847,801.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,643 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,584,301.54. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Beth Ann Costello sold 72,076 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.71, for a total transaction of $7,186,697.96. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 69,169 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,896,840.99. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 94,499 shares of company stock valued at $9,449,309 in the last 90 days. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HIG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Evercore ISI raised their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $96.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Argus lifted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $104.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 15th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group to $144.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Citigroup cut The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $116.00 to $114.00 in a report on Friday, June 28th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Financial Services Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $107.50.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 2.0 %

NYSE:HIG traded up $2.05 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $105.04. 1,429,459 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,672,701. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $101.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $96.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market cap of $31.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.94, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.93. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $68.82 and a twelve month high of $105.30.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The insurance provider reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.43 by ($0.09). The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 20.64% and a net margin of 10.87%. The business had revenue of $6.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.51 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.68 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 9.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.36%.

About The Hartford Financial Services Group

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and financial services to individual and business customers in the United States, the United Kingdom, and internationally. Its Commercial Lines segment offers insurance coverages, including workers' compensation, property, automobile, general and professional liability, package business, umbrella, fidelity and surety, marine, livestock, accident, health, and reinsurance through regional offices, branches, sales and policyholder service centers, independent retail agents and brokers, wholesale agents, and reinsurance brokers.