American Century Companies Inc. Has $70.37 Million Stock Holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 6.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 643,235 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 40,672 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $70,370,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,701,675 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $514,363,000 after purchasing an additional 202,487 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake 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 buying an additional 581,103 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,913,914 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $209,382,000 after acquiring an additional 39,585 shares during the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 1,457,147 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $159,412,000 after acquiring an additional 114,716 shares during the period. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,234,480 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $135,052,000 after purchasing an additional 34,938 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total value of $1,539,773.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,678 shares in the company, valued at $3,712,661.60. This trade represents a 29.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the company’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 owns 211,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 company insiders.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $121.46 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $34.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $114.87 and its 200 day moving average is $115.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a one year low of $94.47 and a one year high of $124.90.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last posted 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%. As a group, research analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.71%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is 20.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on HIG shares. Barclays upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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. Piper Sandler increased their price target on 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, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.94.

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.