Strategic Financial Services Inc. Has $268,000 Stock Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Strategic Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 36.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,446 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 648 shares during the quarter. Strategic Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $268,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,079 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $337,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its stake 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 buying an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,444 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $287,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,468 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $489,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.9% during the fourth 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays raised The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $119.73 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $113.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $114.99. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $94.47 and a 12 month high of $124.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a market capitalization of $34.17 billion, a PE ratio of 11.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.26. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 19.55%. Analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In related news, 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at $25,412,161.98. This represents a 31.72 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total value of $1,539,773.60. Following the completion of 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.