NBC Securities Inc. Purchases 21,552 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

NBC Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 97,963.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 21,574 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 21,552 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc.'s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $2,669,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in HIG. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,079 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $337,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Barrett & Company Inc. boosted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,468 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $489,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 475 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC raised its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 13,286 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,453,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HIG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Piper Sandler lifted 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. Wall Street Zen raised shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. UBS Group upped their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, 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 note on Wednesday, April 9th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $129.71.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

NYSE:HIG traded up $0.25 on Tuesday, hitting $130.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,347,332 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,580,565. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $122.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $117.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a one year low of $98.16 and a one year high of $132.09.

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 net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 19.55%. The business had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.34 earnings per share. The Hartford Financial Services Group's revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.60%. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total value of $11,805,563.79. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,412,161.98. This trade represents a 31.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total value of $1,539,773.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,712,661.60. This represents a 29.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 113,429 shares of company stock worth $13,618,028 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

About The Hartford Financial Services 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.