The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Position Trimmed by WINTON GROUP Ltd

WINTON GROUP Ltd lowered its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 94.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,778 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 49,786 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $304,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Fisher Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the third quarter valued at $340,000. Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 7,860 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $924,000 after buying an additional 1,962 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 51,173 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $6,018,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 41,624 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,892,000 after buying an additional 580 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 6.4% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 20,131 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,368,000 after buying an additional 1,214 shares during the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

Shares of HIG stock opened at $122.21 on Monday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $94.47 and a 12 month high of $124.90. The company has a market capitalization of $34.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $115.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $115.27. 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 Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders 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 1.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is 20.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HIG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. 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 on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com cut The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.94.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total value of $1,539,773.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,712,661.60. The trade was a 29.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,412,161.98. The trade was a 31.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

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.