New Age Alpha Advisors LLC Acquires 4,728 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 3,110.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,880 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,728 shares during the quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $534,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3,342.9% in the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 241 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the period. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% in the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% during the 4th quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 331 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Key Financial Inc boosted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 526.3% in the fourth quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 357 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In related 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 value of $1,539,773.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,678 shares in the company, valued at $3,712,661.60. This represents a 29.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total value of $11,805,563.79. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at $25,412,161.98. The trade was a 31.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

HIG stock opened at $123.73 on Tuesday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $94.47 and a twelve month high of $124.90. 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 company has a market cap of $35.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. The business’s fifty day moving average is $115.75 and its 200-day moving average is $115.33.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released 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 return on equity of 19.55% and a net margin of 11.72%. Equities research analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The company 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 1.68%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on HIG shares. 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Raymond James lifted their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of 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 given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.78.

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.