25,246 Shares in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Purchased by Aquatic Capital Management LLC

Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 25,246 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,762,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HIG. Horizon Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter worth $277,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 437.9% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 871,318 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $95,322,000 after buying an additional 709,324 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,701,675 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $514,363,000 after buying an additional 202,487 shares during the period. Suncoast Equity Management acquired a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $311,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 62.1% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 28,622 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $3,131,000 after acquiring an additional 10,964 shares during the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on HIG. Barclays raised their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Financial Services Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $126.87.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 3.1 %

NYSE HIG traded up $3.82 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $125.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,614,635 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,571,394. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.14, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.68. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $118.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $115.59. 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 Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $96.31 and a twelve month high of $125.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.05. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 19.55%. The firm had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.97 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.34 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 20.74%.

Insider Activity at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In related news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total transaction of $1,539,773.60. Following the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,086 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.42, for a total transaction of $129,690.12. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 622 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $74,279.24. This trade represents a 63.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 113,429 shares of company stock valued at $13,618,028 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

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.