Sei Investments Co. Buys 3,483 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 226,848 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,483 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co. owned approximately 0.08% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $24,818,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lifted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 265.5% in the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 1,213,074 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $132,710,000 after acquiring an additional 881,224 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 437.9% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 871,318 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $95,322,000 after purchasing an additional 709,324 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 626,304 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $65,256,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,938,421 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $430,272,000 after purchasing an additional 581,103 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on HIG shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted 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 upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Financial Services Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.94.

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 approximately $3,712,661.60. This represents a 29.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total transaction 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE HIG opened at $122.60 on Thursday. 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 has a market cap of $34.99 billion, a PE ratio of 11.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $115.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $115.18. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $94.47 and a 12-month high of $124.90.

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

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.70%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is 20.10%.

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.