The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Stock Holdings Boosted by Man Group plc

Man Group plc lifted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 39.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 991,678 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 281,498 shares during the period. Man Group plc owned 0.34% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $108,490,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3,342.9% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 241 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% in the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% in the 4th quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 331 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on HIG shares. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $133.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $126.87.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

HIG stock opened at $127.95 on Wednesday. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $98.16 and a one year high of $129.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.35 billion, a PE ratio of 12.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $119.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $115.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.05. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 19.55%. The company had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.34 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.74%.

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In related news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 1,144 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total transaction of $143,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,385,250. This trade represents a 0.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total transaction of $1,539,773.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,712,661.60. The trade was a 29.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 113,429 shares of company stock valued at $13,618,028 over the last three months. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.