Equity Investment Corp Has $64.04 Million Stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Equity Investment Corp grew its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 585,344 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,962 shares during the period. Equity Investment Corp owned approximately 0.20% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $64,037,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.3% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,938,421 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $430,272,000 after purchasing an additional 581,103 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,234,480 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $135,052,000 after purchasing an additional 34,938 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lifted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 265.5% in the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 1,213,074 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $132,710,000 after buying an additional 881,224 shares during the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec lifted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 42.1% in the third quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 935,298 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $110,000,000 after buying an additional 277,295 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 437.9% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 871,318 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $95,322,000 after buying an additional 709,324 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

HIG stock opened at $115.38 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $94.32 and a twelve month high of $124.90. The business’s fifty day moving average is $111.33 and its 200-day moving average is $114.33. The company has a market cap of $32.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.97.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.26. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 19.55% and a net margin of 11.72%. Equities research analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.80%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on HIG. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Barclays raised The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com cut The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Financial Services Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Profile

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.