Ethic Inc. Has $6.10 Million Stock Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Ethic Inc. raised its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 9.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 55,765 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,040 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $6,101,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HIG. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3,342.9% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 241 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the period. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% during the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% in the fourth quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 331 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HIG traded up $2.50 on Thursday, reaching $128.64. 969,909 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,576,345. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.55 billion, a PE ratio of 12.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The company's 50 day moving average is $120.15 and its 200-day moving average is $116.01. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $98.16 and a fifty-two week high of $129.75.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.34 EPS. The Hartford Financial Services Group's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,086 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.42, for a total transaction of $129,690.12. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 622 shares in the company, valued at $74,279.24. The trade was a 63.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 1,144 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total value of $143,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,385,250. This represents a 0.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 113,429 shares of company stock valued at $13,618,028. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HIG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. 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 research note on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $133.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective 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, Raymond James boosted their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 31st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group 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.