Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Has $1.41 Million Stock Holdings in The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. $HIG

Key Points

• Ameritas Advisory Services LLC sharply increased its stake in The Hartford Insurance Group, boosting holdings by 1,905.9% in the fourth quarter to 10,250 shares worth about $1.41 million.
• Several other institutions also added to or initiated positions, and 93.42% of HIG shares are held by institutional investors and hedge funds. Meanwhile, EVP Lori A. Rodden sold 40,693 shares, cutting her ownership by 61.58%.
• The Hartford reported Q1 earnings of $3.09 per share, missing estimates, while revenue came in at $14.45 billion and rose 6.1% year over year. Analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average target price of $149.31.

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 1,905.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,250 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 9,739 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC's holdings in The Hartford Insurance Group were worth $1,412,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of HIG. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in The Hartford Insurance Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in The Hartford Insurance Group by 707.7% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 210 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new stake in The Hartford Insurance Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC bought a new stake in The Hartford Insurance Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in The Hartford Insurance Group by 144.8% in the 4th quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 257 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Hartford Insurance Group news, EVP Lori A. Rodden sold 40,693 shares of The Hartford Insurance Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.05, for a total value of $5,617,668.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 25,392 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,365.60. The trade was a 61.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HIG has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup boosted their target price on The Hartford Insurance Group from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Bank of America boosted their target price on The Hartford Insurance Group from $136.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Mizuho boosted their target price on The Hartford Insurance Group from $158.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price objective on The Hartford Insurance Group from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on The Hartford Insurance Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $149.31.

The Hartford Insurance Group Stock Up 1.3%

HIG opened at $134.30 on Friday. The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $119.61 and a 1-year high of $144.50. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $136.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $135.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The stock has a market cap of $36.82 billion, a PE ratio of 9.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.50.

The Hartford Insurance Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The insurance provider reported $3.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.39 by ($0.30). The business had revenue of $14.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.41 billion. The Hartford Insurance Group had a net margin of 14.10% and a return on equity of 22.52%. The firm's revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.20 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. will post 13.17 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. The Hartford Insurance Group's dividend payout ratio is 16.87%.

About The Hartford Insurance Group

The Hartford Financial Services Group, commonly known as The Hartford, is a U.S.-based insurance and investment company that provides a broad range of commercial and personal insurance products and employee benefits. Its core businesses include property and casualty insurance for businesses and individuals, group benefits such as group life, disability and dental plans, and retirement and investment solutions offered through affiliated asset-management operations. The company also delivers risk management, claims-handling and loss-prevention services designed to support policyholders across a variety of industries.

Founded in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1810, The Hartford is one of the oldest insurance organizations in the United States and has a long history of underwriting and product development across multiple insurance lines.

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