BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Has $2.03 Million Stock Holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lifted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 122.9% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 19,659 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,840 shares during the quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $2,026,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 26.2% during the fourth quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 6,119,863 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $491,915,000 after acquiring an additional 1,272,290 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,247,966 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $421,832,000 after purchasing an additional 105,799 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 4,821,885 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $387,583,000 after purchasing an additional 165,190 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $278,704,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,381,943 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $271,841,000 after acquiring an additional 18,419 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HIG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $104.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 15th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $117.00 to $111.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $96.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Citigroup cut shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $116.00 to $114.00 in a research note on Friday, June 28th. Finally, Roth Mkm raised their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $106.59.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 0.4 %

HIG opened at $100.10 on Thursday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $68.82 and a fifty-two week high of $105.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.38, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.93. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $100.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $95.63.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The insurance provider reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $6.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.51 billion. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 20.64% and a net margin of 10.87%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.68 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 9.88 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 3rd were given a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 3rd. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.88%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.36%.

Insider Activity at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In related news, EVP Michael R. Fisher sold 4,088 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.47, for a total transaction of $414,809.36. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,503,582.46. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, EVP Jonathan R. Bennett sold 18,335 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.78, for a total transaction of $1,847,801.30. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 25,643 shares in the company, valued at $2,584,301.54. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Michael R. Fisher sold 4,088 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.47, for a total transaction of $414,809.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,503,582.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 94,499 shares of company stock worth $9,449,309 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Company 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.