Sentry Investment Management LLC Reduces Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Sentry Investment Management LLC cut its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 14.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,209 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 197 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $132,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. boosted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% in the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas purchased a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the third quarter valued at $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in 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 valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Key Financial Inc boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HIG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Barclays raised shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Down 0.9 %

HIG opened at $115.38 on Thursday. 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 quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $111.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $114.33. The company has a market cap of $32.93 billion, a PE ratio of 11.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.97.

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, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts expect 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 firm 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 $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.80%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is 20.10%.

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.