35,828 Shares in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Acquired by Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 35,828 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,920,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HIG. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 111,134 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $13,063,000 after acquiring an additional 7,350 shares during the period. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd raised its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.3% during the third quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 137,506 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $16,172,000 after acquiring an additional 4,449 shares in the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI purchased a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the third quarter valued at about $19,005,000. Citigroup Inc. grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 314,849 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $37,029,000 after acquiring an additional 10,566 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of 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 worth $95,322,000 after buying an additional 709,324 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.42% of the company's stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock traded up $2.00 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $117.58. 1,362,773 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,674,205. The business has a 50-day moving average of $111.33 and a 200-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 stock has a market capitalization of $33.56 billion, a price-to-earnings 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 Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 expect 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid 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 of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 20.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on HIG shares. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays raised shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com cut shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group currently 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.