The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Shares Acquired by Bahl & Gaynor Inc.

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 8.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,457,147 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 114,716 shares during the quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $159,412,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HIG. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its stake 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 buying an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% during 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 purchased a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% in the 4th quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 331 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Key Financial Inc grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 526.3% during the 4th quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 357 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 1.3 %

HIG stock opened at $119.77 on Tuesday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $94.32 and a 52-week high of $124.90. 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 firm has a market cap of $34.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.57, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.97. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $111.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.58.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last issued its quarterly 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on HIG shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Barclays upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.