The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Shares Acquired by Deprince Race & Zollo Inc.

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 0.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 376,592 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 189 shares during the period. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc.’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $41,199,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,079 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $337,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% in the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,468 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $489,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,499 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,258,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 475 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,086 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.42, for a total value of $129,690.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 622 shares in the company, valued at approximately $74,279.24. This represents a 63.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 sold a total of 113,429 shares of company stock valued at $13,618,028 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James increased their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. StockNews.com raised The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $133.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Financial Services Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $126.87.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 1.0 %

NYSE:HIG opened at $127.79 on Thursday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $98.16 and a 52-week high of $129.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $119.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $115.70. The company has a market capitalization of $36.30 billion, a PE ratio of 12.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $6.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.34 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.74%.

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.