United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund Takes Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund acquired a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 7,300 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $799,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,079 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $337,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.0% during the third quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,444 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $287,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,468 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $489,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,499 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,258,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total value of $11,805,563.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at $25,412,161.98. This trade represents a 31.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 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 owns 31,678 shares in the company, valued at $3,712,661.60. This represents a 29.32 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Ten equities 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Financial Services Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 0.3 %

HIG stock opened at $121.46 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $114.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $115.12. The stock has a market cap of $34.66 billion, a PE ratio of 11.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $94.47 and a fifty-two week high of $124.90.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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, sell-side analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.71%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is 20.10%.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Company 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.