Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Buys 110,381 Shares of Selective Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIGI)

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Selective Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIGI - Free Report) by 15.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 828,327 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 110,381 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned 1.36% of Selective Insurance Group worth $77,465,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Selective Insurance Group during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Selective Insurance Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted 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 worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in Selective Insurance Group by 957.1% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 444 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Selective Insurance Group by 64.4% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 485 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.88% of the company's stock.

Selective Insurance Group Stock Down 1.9 %

Selective Insurance Group stock traded down $1.56 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $82.55. 309,725 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 416,708. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $92.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $92.50. The firm has a market cap of $5.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.64 and a beta of 0.61. Selective Insurance Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $80.84 and a 1 year high of $109.58.

Selective Insurance Group (NASDAQ:SIGI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.99 by ($0.37). Selective Insurance Group had a return on equity of 7.33% and a net margin of 4.26%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Selective Insurance Group, Inc. will post 7.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Selective Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The company 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 $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Selective Insurance Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 47.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on SIGI shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Selective Insurance Group from $95.00 to $87.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Selective Insurance Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $95.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Selective Insurance Group from $96.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Bank of America raised their price target on Selective Insurance Group from $96.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Selective Insurance Group in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $98.71.

Selective Insurance Group Company 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.