The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) CEO Christopher Swift Sells 98,061 Shares

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total transaction of $11,805,563.79. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,412,161.98. This trade represents a 31.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE HIG opened at $119.73 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $113.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.99. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $94.47 and a 52 week high of $124.90. 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 stock has a market cap of $34.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.57, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 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%. Equities research analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HIG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.94.

Institutional Trading of The Hartford Financial Services Group

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HIG. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at $416,340,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 265.5% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 48.1% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,264,397 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $247,761,000 after acquiring an additional 735,170 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 437.9% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 871,318 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $95,322,000 after acquiring an additional 709,324 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 626,304 shares in the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.