Berger Financial Group Inc Acquires 115 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Berger Financial Group Inc boosted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 56,150 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the quarter. Berger Financial Group Inc’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $6,143,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $416,340,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 881,224 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew 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 worth $95,322,000 after acquiring an additional 709,324 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 11,904.7% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 631,565 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $632,000 after acquiring an additional 626,304 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $65,256,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of HIG opened at $118.79 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $117.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $115.40. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $34.21 billion, a PE ratio of 11.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.68. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a one year low of $95.00 and a one year high of $125.08.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.97 billion. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 19.55% and a net margin of 11.72%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.34 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.75%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is 20.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on HIG shares. Barclays increased their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $126.40.

Insider Activity 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 stock was sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total transaction of $143,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,385,250. This trade represents a 0.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 112,343 shares of company stock valued at $13,488,337 in the last three months. Company 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.