The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Shares Bought by Headlands Technologies LLC

Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 494.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,056 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 11,693 shares during the quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $1,538,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter worth about $416,340,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd boosted its position in 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 buying an additional 881,224 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of 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 worth $95,322,000 after acquiring an additional 709,324 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 11,904.7% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 631,565 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $632,000 after acquiring an additional 626,304 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at $65,256,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on HIG shares. 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 research report on Monday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” 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 increased their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Raymond James raised their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.61.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 0.5 %

HIG opened at $124.34 on Wednesday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $94.47 and a 52 week high of $124.90. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $116.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $115.39. 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 $35.48 billion, a PE ratio of 12.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share 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%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

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 given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.67%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is currently 20.10%.

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 stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $3,712,661.60. This represents a 29.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, 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 shares were sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total value of $11,805,563.79. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Company 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.