The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were 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. The trade was a 31.72 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.
The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance
Shares of HIG opened at $119.73 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $113.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $114.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.17 billion, a PE ratio of 11.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. 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 Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $94.47 and a 52-week high of $124.90.
The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share (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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group's payout ratio is 20.10%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Hartford Financial Services Group
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,251,389 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $792,796,000 after acquiring an additional 81,495 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,701,675 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $514,363,000 after acquiring an additional 202,487 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.3% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,938,421 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $430,272,000 after acquiring an additional 581,103 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,830,462 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $419,053,000 after acquiring an additional 234,320 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $416,340,000. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several research firms have weighed in on HIG. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target 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, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $122.94.
Check Out Our Latest Report on The Hartford Financial Services Group
The Hartford Financial Services Group Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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