ING Groep NV Takes $1.43 Million Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

ING Groep NV purchased a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 13,102 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,433,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of HIG. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 265.5% during the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 1,213,074 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $132,710,000 after acquiring an additional 881,224 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 709,324 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,938,421 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $430,272,000 after purchasing an additional 581,103 shares during the period. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec lifted its holdings 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 valued at $110,000,000 after purchasing an additional 277,295 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC boosted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 7,564.9% in the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 248,648 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $29,243,000 after buying an additional 245,404 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company's stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 1.7 %

The Hartford Financial Services Group stock traded up $2.00 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $117.58. 1,362,773 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,674,205. The stock has a market cap of $33.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $111.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $114.33. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $94.32 and a 1-year high of $124.90.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate 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 business also recently disclosed 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. 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 20.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on HIG. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on 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. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of 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. Piper Sandler raised their price target 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. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $122.94.

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.