The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. $HIG Shares Bought by Aviva PLC

Aviva PLC raised its stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 217,567 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,195 shares during the period. Aviva PLC owned 0.08% of The Hartford Insurance Group worth $27,603,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in The Hartford Insurance Group by 11.3% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,936,615 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $487,077,000 after buying an additional 398,950 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group by 1.7% in the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,509,098 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $434,181,000 after acquiring an additional 60,116 shares in the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group by 47.0% in the first quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 2,141,537 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $264,972,000 after acquiring an additional 684,390 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its position in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group by 27.4% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 1,943,498 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $239,905,000 after purchasing an additional 417,951 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its stake in The Hartford Insurance Group by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 1,605,760 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $203,723,000 after purchasing an additional 5,545 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Insurance Group

In other The Hartford Insurance Group news, EVP Lori A. Rodden sold 7,841 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.41, for a total transaction of $959,816.81. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,400 shares in the company, valued at $2,252,344. This represents a 29.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Donald Christian Hunt sold 2,124 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.87, for a total value of $284,339.88. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Insurance Group Trading Up 1.1%

NYSE HIG opened at $129.29 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $36.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.56, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.69. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $129.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $127.62. The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. has a one year low of $104.93 and a one year high of $135.17.

The Hartford Insurance Group (NYSE:HIG) last announced its earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The insurance provider reported $3.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.76. The Hartford Insurance Group had a net margin of 12.75% and a return on equity of 21.07%. The firm had revenue of $7.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.53 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st will be issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. This is a boost from The Hartford Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. The Hartford Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HIG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $152.00 price objective for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $144.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on The Hartford Insurance Group from $142.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Insurance Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.14.

About The Hartford Insurance 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.