O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Sells 39,333 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC decreased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 6.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 530,745 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 39,333 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC owned about 0.18% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $58,064,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at $416,340,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 265.5% during the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 1,213,074 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $132,710,000 after purchasing an additional 881,224 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 437.9% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 871,318 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $95,322,000 after buying an additional 709,324 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 11,904.7% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 631,565 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $632,000 after buying an additional 626,304 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at $65,256,000. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

HIG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Raymond James boosted 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. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. 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 on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays raised shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Ten equities research 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $124.61.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:HIG traded down $0.43 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $124.43. The company had a trading volume of 592,555 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,573,185. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a one year low of $94.47 and a one year high of $125.08. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $116.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $115.46. The company has a market capitalization of $35.51 billion, a PE ratio of 12.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 19.55%. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,678 shares in the company, valued at $3,712,661.60. This trade represents a 29.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total transaction of $11,805,563.79. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,412,161.98. This trade represents a 31.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group 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.