Gamco Investors INC. ET AL Sells 1,500 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL decreased its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 40.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,200 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 1,500 shares during the quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $241,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,079 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $337,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% in the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,468 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $489,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,499 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,258,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co raised its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 475 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In related news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at $25,412,161.98. The trade was a 31.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 31,678 shares in the company, 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 112,343 shares of company stock valued at $13,488,337. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $117.84 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $117.07 and a 200 day moving average of $115.34. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $94.47 and a 52 week high of $125.08. The company has a market cap of $33.94 billion, a PE ratio of 11.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.77%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on HIG. StockNews.com upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Raymond James upped their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.13.

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.