Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Invests $831,000 in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 7,592 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $831,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HIG. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3,342.9% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 241 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the period. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% during the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. DT Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% in the fourth quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 331 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Key Financial Inc lifted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 526.3% during the 4th quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 357 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total transaction of $1,539,773.60. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was 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 in the company, 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 112,343 shares of company stock valued at $13,488,337. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on HIG shares. StockNews.com downgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Raymond James raised their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. 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. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.47.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of HIG stock opened at $113.56 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.97, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.68. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a one year low of $94.47 and a one year high of $125.08. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $116.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $115.48.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 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%. Equities 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 Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.83%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is 20.10%.

About The Hartford Financial Services Group

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.