Advisor Resource Council Invests $2.20 Million in The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Advisor Resource Council acquired a new stake in The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 17,764 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,198,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in The Hartford Insurance Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Curat Global LLC acquired a new stake in The Hartford Insurance Group during the 1st quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co grew its stake in The Hartford Insurance Group by 26.7% during the fourth quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 475 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,086 shares of The Hartford Insurance Group stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.42, for a total value of $129,690.12. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 622 shares of the company's stock, valued at $74,279.24. The trade was a 63.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 1,144 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total transaction of $143,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,082 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,385,250. This trade represents a 0.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

The Hartford Insurance Group Price Performance

NYSE:HIG traded down $0.87 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $126.56. The stock had a trading volume of 1,417,112 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,580,072. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $125.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $118.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. has a one year low of $98.16 and a one year high of $132.09.

The Hartford Insurance 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 company had revenue of $6.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.97 billion. The Hartford Insurance Group had a net margin of 11.10% and a return on equity of 18.73%. The Hartford Insurance Group's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.34 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.64%. The Hartford Insurance Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.74%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on HIG. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on The Hartford Insurance Group from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Raymond James Financial lifted their target price on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on The Hartford Insurance Group from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Insurance Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $131.15.

About The Hartford Insurance Group

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.