The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Shares Sold by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. reduced its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 117,937 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 902 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $12,902,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HIG. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 84.1% during the 4th quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 19,971 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,185,000 after acquiring an additional 9,122 shares in the last quarter. MGO One Seven LLC lifted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 5,117 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $560,000 after purchasing an additional 428 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 217.5% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 23,484 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,569,000 after purchasing an additional 16,087 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 76,718 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $8,393,000 after purchasing an additional 538 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Natixis raised its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 155.8% during the fourth quarter. Natixis now owns 115,938 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $12,684,000 after purchasing an additional 70,608 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on HIG shares. Raymond James upped 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 report on Monday, March 31st. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. StockNews.com raised The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $133.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Eight 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. According to data from MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.13.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $118.89 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $34.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.49, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.68. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $117.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $115.39. 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 Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a one year low of $94.47 and a one year high of $125.08.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.05. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 19.55%. The firm had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.34 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,712,661.60. The trade was a 29.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at $25,412,161.98. The trade was a 31.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 112,343 shares of company stock valued at $13,488,337 over the last quarter. Company 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.