Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Has $8.72 Million Stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 108,488 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,309 shares during the quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $8,720,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 11.7% during the fourth quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,165 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $254,000 after buying an additional 331 shares during the last quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter worth $2,875,000. New Millennium Group LLC purchased a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at $1,552,000. SteelPeak Wealth LLC bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter valued at $1,691,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 19.8% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 49,614 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $4,003,000 after acquiring an additional 8,203 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael R. Fisher sold 27,004 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.90, for a total transaction of $2,670,695.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 18,906 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,869,803.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, EVP Michael R. Fisher sold 27,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.90, for a total value of $2,670,695.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 18,906 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,869,803.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 956 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.00, for a total value of $82,216.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 170,180 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,635,480. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 202,264 shares of company stock worth $18,438,369 in the last three months. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HIG traded up $1.53 during trading on Friday, hitting $98.48. 478,537 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,789,900. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $67.05 and a 52-week high of $103.64. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $97.64 and a 200 day moving average of $85.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $29.28 billion, a PE ratio of 12.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.89.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 2nd. The insurance provider reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by $0.62. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 19.82% and a net margin of 10.21%. The business had revenue of $6.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.31 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 10.13 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on HIG. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $77.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $106.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $109.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.56.

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.