Aurora Investment Counsel Grows Stock Holdings in The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. $HIG

Aurora Investment Counsel increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 2.0% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 20,054 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 386 shares during the period. The Hartford Insurance Group makes up about 1.3% of Aurora Investment Counsel’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Aurora Investment Counsel’s holdings in The Hartford Insurance Group were worth $2,544,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HIG. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group by 28,218.5% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 757,804 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $93,763,000 after buying an additional 755,128 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in The Hartford Insurance Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $87,516,000. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its holdings in The Hartford Insurance Group by 47.0% in the 1st quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 2,141,537 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $264,972,000 after purchasing an additional 684,390 shares in the last quarter. Amundi boosted its holdings in The Hartford Insurance Group by 27.4% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 1,943,498 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $239,905,000 after purchasing an additional 417,951 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its holdings in The Hartford Insurance Group by 38.4% in the 2nd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,493,077 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $189,427,000 after purchasing an additional 414,216 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Insurance Group Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE HIG opened at $123.84 on Tuesday. The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $104.93 and a 52-week high of $135.17. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $131.34 and a 200-day moving average of $126.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.82 billion, a PE ratio of 11.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

The Hartford Insurance Group (NYSE:HIG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 28th. The insurance provider reported $3.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.58. The Hartford Insurance Group had a net margin of 11.83% and a return on equity of 19.60%. The company had revenue of $6.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.50 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were given a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 2nd. The Hartford Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is 18.86%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Beth Ann Costello sold 35,340 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.50, for a total transaction of $4,364,490.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 77,574 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,580,389. This represents a 31.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Donald Christian Hunt sold 2,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.87, for a total transaction of $284,339.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on HIG. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Citigroup started coverage on The Hartford Insurance Group in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on The Hartford Insurance Group in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $152.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research started coverage on The Hartford Insurance Group in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on The Hartford Insurance Group from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.07.

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.