Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super Invests $33.37 Million in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super bought a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 305,054 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $33,373,000. Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super owned approximately 0.11% of The Hartford Financial Services Group at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake 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 fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,938,421 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $430,272,000 after purchasing an additional 581,103 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $416,340,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,448,982 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $377,319,000 after purchasing an additional 25,053 shares in the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on HIG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James raised their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.13.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 1.1 %

HIG stock opened at $116.05 on Monday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $94.47 and a 52 week high of $125.08. 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 company’s 50-day simple moving average is $116.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $115.32. The company has a market capitalization of $33.12 billion, a PE ratio of 11.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.68.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share 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, sell-side analysts anticipate 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 company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.79%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.10%.

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 1,144 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total transaction of $143,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,385,250. The trade was a 0.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the 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 completion of 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 112,343 shares of company stock worth $13,488,337. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

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.