BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $87.28 Million Stock Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 60.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 797,834 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 300,245 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.28% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $87,283,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of HIG. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,251,389 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $792,796,000 after acquiring an additional 81,495 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 202,487 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,938,421 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $430,272,000 after buying an additional 581,103 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter worth about $416,340,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,537,665 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $387,021,000 after buying an additional 519,717 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the 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 owns 31,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,712,661.60. This represents a 29.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total value of $11,805,563.79. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $25,412,161.98. This represents a 31.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 ninety days. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 0.1 %

The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $125.83 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $118.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $115.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.32. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $98.16 and a 52-week high of $126.52. The firm has a market cap of $35.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.16, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70.

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

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.65%. The Hartford Financial Services Group's payout ratio is presently 20.74%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. StockNews.com raised The Hartford Financial Services Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Piper Sandler upped 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 note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Seven investment 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $126.87.

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.

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