Schroder Investment Management Group Buys 277,379 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Schroder Investment Management Group grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 45.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 888,632 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 277,379 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group owned 0.31% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $97,101,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HIG. Intrust Bank NA boosted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 21,518 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,354,000 after purchasing an additional 604 shares during the last quarter. Allstate Corp bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $952,000. RiverFront Investment Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC now owns 243,796 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,671,000 after buying an additional 13,553 shares during the last quarter. Horizon Investment Services LLC grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Investment Services LLC now owns 39,886 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,364,000 after buying an additional 1,441 shares during the period. Finally, DnB Asset Management AS increased its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 23.4% during the fourth quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 289,787 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $31,703,000 after buying an additional 54,915 shares during the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $122.21 on Monday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $94.47 and a twelve month 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 business has a 50-day moving average price of $115.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $115.27. The firm has a market cap of $34.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.81, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is 20.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HIG shares. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating 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 research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Barclays raised The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of 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. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.94.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total value of $11,805,563.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,412,161.98. The trade was a 31.72 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total value of $1,539,773.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,712,661.60. This represents a 29.32 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.