Team Hewins LLC Purchases Shares of 3,544 The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Team Hewins LLC acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 3,544 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $286,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,421,268 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $526,242,000 after acquiring an additional 91,911 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,247,966 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $421,832,000 after purchasing an additional 105,799 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management raised its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 4,821,885 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $387,583,000 after purchasing an additional 165,190 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,503,815 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $248,646,000 after buying an additional 87,001 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter worth $278,704,000. 93.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HIG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $77.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Citigroup lifted their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $113.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $117.00 to $111.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 29th. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $120.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, April 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,516 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.55, for a total value of $143,337.80. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $59,566.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Beth Ann Costello sold 38,915 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.42, for a total transaction of $3,713,269.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 69,169 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,600,105.98. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,516 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.55, for a total value of $143,337.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $59,566.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 166,052 shares of company stock valued at $16,346,296 over the last three months. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HIG traded up $0.63 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $101.28. 1,298,079 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,602,028. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $67.42 and a 1 year high of $103.64. The company’s 50-day moving average is $100.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $90.27. The company has a market capitalization of $29.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.51, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.90.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The insurance provider reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $6.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.51 billion. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 10.87% and a return on equity of 20.64%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.68 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 9.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, June 3rd will be given a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 31st. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.36%.

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.