Uncommon Cents Investing LLC Decreases Holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Uncommon Cents Investing LLC reduced its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 35,875 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 210 shares during the quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $2,884,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HIG. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 64,253 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $5,165,000 after acquiring an additional 911 shares in the last quarter. Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter worth about $121,000. Tectonic Advisors LLC bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter worth about $320,000. New Millennium Group LLC bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter worth about $1,552,000. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP grew its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 15.4% in the 4th quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 139,738 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $11,232,000 after acquiring an additional 18,638 shares in the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,332 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.74, for a total value of $119,533.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,536.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,332 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.74, for a total transaction of $119,533.68. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 630 shares in the company, valued at $56,536.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Michael R. Fisher sold 27,004 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.90, for a total value of $2,670,695.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 18,906 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,869,803.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 259,342 shares of company stock worth $23,256,523. Insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on HIG shares. Raymond James upped their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $77.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Roth Mkm increased their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $92.06.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of HIG stock opened at $103.04 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $93.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $82.06. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $67.01 and a fifty-two week high of $103.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market cap of $30.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.88.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The insurance provider reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.62. The business had revenue of $6.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.84 billion. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 10.21% and a return on equity of 19.82%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.31 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 9.94 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th will be issued a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.82%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.53%.

The Hartford Financial Services Group 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.