Van ECK Associates Corp Boosts Stake in Selective Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIGI)

Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in Selective Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIGI - Free Report) by 27.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,146 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 9,387 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp owned about 0.07% of Selective Insurance Group worth $4,129,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of SIGI. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Selective Insurance Group by 37.1% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 429 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Selective Insurance Group by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 9,061 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $847,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC raised its position in shares of Selective Insurance Group by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,950 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $369,000 after buying an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC raised its position in shares of Selective Insurance Group by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC now owns 2,974 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $277,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in Selective Insurance Group by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 5,101 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $476,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.88% of the company's stock.

Selective Insurance Group Trading Down 1.3 %

SIGI stock traded down $1.00 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $78.34. The company had a trading volume of 134,724 shares, compared to its average volume of 427,469. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.34. The company has a market capitalization of $4.76 billion, a PE ratio of 24.31 and a beta of 0.61. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $90.14 and a 200 day moving average of $92.16. Selective Insurance Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $78.16 and a 12 month high of $109.58.

Selective Insurance Group (NASDAQ:SIGI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.99 by ($0.37). Selective Insurance Group had a net margin of 4.26% and a return on equity of 7.33%. On average, equities analysts predict that Selective Insurance Group, Inc. will post 7.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Selective Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.94%. Selective Insurance Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 47.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on SIGI shares. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Selective Insurance Group in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Selective Insurance Group from $95.00 to $87.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $93.00 price target (down from $116.00) on shares of Selective Insurance Group in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Selective Insurance Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the company from $95.00 to $105.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $98.71.

Selective Insurance Group Profile

Selective Insurance Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance products and services in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Standard Commercial Lines, Standard Personal Lines, E&S Lines, and Investments. It offers casualty insurance products that covers the financial consequences of employee injuries in the course of employment and bodily injury and/or property damage to a third party; property insurance products, which covers the accidental loss of an insured's real property, personal property, and/or earnings due to the property's loss; and flood insurance products.