Cerity Partners LLC Acquires 3,680 Shares of The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 5.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 74,427 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 3,680 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in The Hartford Insurance Group were worth $9,209,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $416,340,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in The Hartford Insurance Group by 14,049.5% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,424,009 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,761,930,000 after buying an additional 1,413,945 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group by 48.1% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,264,397 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $247,761,000 after buying an additional 735,170 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group by 17.2% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $46,271,000. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on HIG shares. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $142.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on The Hartford Insurance Group from $125.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays cut their target price on The Hartford Insurance Group from $145.00 to $142.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on The Hartford Insurance Group from $134.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on The Hartford Insurance Group from $140.00 to $133.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Hartford Insurance Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $133.67.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,086 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.42, for a total transaction of $129,690.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 622 shares in the company, valued at approximately $74,279.24. This represents a 63.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

The Hartford Insurance Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HIG traded up $1.83 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $122.38. The company had a trading volume of 2,090,459 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,599,706. The stock has a market cap of $34.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.69. The company's 50 day moving average price is $126.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $119.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $101.02 and a 52-week high of $132.09.

The Hartford Insurance Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.05. The Hartford Insurance Group had a net margin of 11.10% and a return on equity of 18.73%. The company had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.34 EPS. The Hartford Insurance Group's quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.70%. The Hartford Insurance Group's payout ratio is presently 20.74%.

The Hartford Insurance 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.