Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Purchases 82,628 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. raised its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 9.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,003,699 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 82,628 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $80,677,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. MV Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,416 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Realta Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 3,635 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $292,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.4% in the third quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,857 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $415,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Perigon Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,204 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $258,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the period. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.5% in the third quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 10,490 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $744,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,332 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.74, for a total value of $119,533.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,536.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,516 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.55, for a total transaction of $143,337.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $59,566.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,332 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.74, for a total value of $119,533.68. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 630 shares in the company, valued at $56,536.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 106,501 shares of company stock worth $10,141,126. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on HIG shares. Roth Mkm raised their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $91.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $96.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective (up previously from $100.00) on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $77.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $105.81.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $95.30 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $28.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.32. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $98.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $86.23. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a one year low of $67.05 and a one year high of $103.64.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The insurance provider reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by ($0.09). The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 21.04% and a net margin of 10.87%. The company had revenue of $6.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.51 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.68 EPS. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 10.13 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is currently 21.36%.

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.