The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Shares Purchased by Natixis

Natixis grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 155.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 115,938 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 70,608 shares during the period. Natixis' holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $12,684,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HIG. Norges Bank purchased a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter worth about $416,340,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 265.5% in the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 1,213,074 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $132,710,000 after purchasing an additional 881,224 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 437.9% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 871,318 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $95,322,000 after buying an additional 709,324 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 11,904.7% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 631,565 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $632,000 after buying an additional 626,304 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter worth about $65,256,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.42% of the company's stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE:HIG opened at $117.84 on Friday. 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 52-week low of $94.47 and a 52-week high of $125.08. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $117.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $115.34. 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 Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.26. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 19.55%. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,712,661.60. This trade represents a 29.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total transaction of $11,805,563.79. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,412,161.98. This trade represents a 31.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 112,343 shares of company stock worth $13,488,337 over the last 90 days. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.

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