Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund Sells 270 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lowered its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,842 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 270 shares during the quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $2,718,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3,342.9% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 241 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% during the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. BNP Paribas purchased a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% in the fourth quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 331 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the third quarter worth about $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of HIG opened at $117.58 on Friday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $94.32 and a twelve month high of $124.90. The company has a market cap of $33.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.97. 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 company’s fifty day simple moving average is $111.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.35.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.26. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 19.55%. As a group, analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is currently 20.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on 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. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Barclays raised shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com cut The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.94.

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.