FIL Ltd Grows Stock Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

FIL Ltd lifted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 150.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 57,308 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 34,471 shares during the quarter. FIL Ltd's holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $6,269,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3,342.9% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 241 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. raised 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 worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% during the fourth quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 331 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total value of $1,539,773.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,712,661.60. This trade represents a 29.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 1,144 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total value of $143,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,385,250. This represents a 0.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 112,343 shares of company stock valued at $13,488,337. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on HIG shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 31st. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $124.13.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HIG traded up $0.69 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $117.84. The stock had a trading volume of 1,403,365 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,578,867. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $116.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $115.36. The company has a market capitalization of $33.94 billion, a PE ratio of 11.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.68. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $94.47 and a 1 year high of $125.08.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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, sell-side analysts expect 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. The Hartford Financial Services Group's payout ratio is presently 20.10%.

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.