Fox Run Management L.L.C. Purchases New Shares in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 2,022 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $221,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,701,675 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $514,363,000 after buying an additional 202,487 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,938,421 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $430,272,000 after purchasing an additional 581,103 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 valued at $209,382,000 after purchasing an additional 39,585 shares during the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 1,457,147 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $159,412,000 after purchasing an additional 114,716 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.9% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total value of $1,539,773.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,712,661.60. The trade was a 29.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 transaction of $11,805,563.79. Following the completion of the transaction, 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. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Down 0.6 %

NYSE:HIG opened at $122.21 on Friday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $94.47 and a 1 year high of $124.90. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $115.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $115.27. The stock has a market cap of $34.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.81, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.26. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 19.55% and a net margin of 11.72%. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The business 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 is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.70%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on HIG. Barclays raised The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Ten equities research 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 stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.94.

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.