The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Shares Sold by National Pension Service

National Pension Service lessened its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 6.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 460,585 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 29,292 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned about 0.16% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $50,388,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3,342.9% in the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 241 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% in the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas acquired a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% in the fourth quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 331 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Key Financial Inc raised its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 526.3% in the fourth quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 357 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 1.7 %

HIG opened at $117.58 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.97. The business has a 50-day moving average of $111.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $114.35. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $94.32 and a 12 month high of $124.90.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. On average, research analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is currently 20.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on HIG. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Company 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.