Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Acquires 48,851 Shares of The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. $HIG

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its stake in The Hartford Insurance Group by 16.7%, buying 48,851 shares to hold 342,148 shares (about 0.12%) valued at roughly $47.07 million.
• The Hartford reported a Q4 earnings beat with $4.06 EPS vs. $3.22 expected and $7.31 billion in revenue (revenues up 6.7% YoY), and trades with a market cap of $38.06 billion and a P/E of 10.34.
• Insiders have been net sellers, including EVP Lori Rodden (40,693 shares) and CEO Christopher Swift (201,938 shares), with insiders selling 349,282 shares totaling about $48.18 million in the past three months.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 16.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 342,148 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 48,851 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.12% of The Hartford Insurance Group worth $47,074,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 184 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in The Hartford Insurance Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC bought a new stake in The Hartford Insurance Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new stake in The Hartford Insurance Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Hartford Insurance Group Stock Performance

NYSE:HIG opened at $137.96 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $137.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $134.69. The company has a market cap of $38.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.34, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.31. The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $116.66 and a fifty-two week high of $144.50.

The Hartford Insurance Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $4.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.84. The firm had revenue of $7.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.29 billion. The Hartford Insurance Group had a return on equity of 21.92% and a net margin of 13.52%.The company's revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.94 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. will post 13.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. The Hartford Insurance Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.99%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Lori A. Rodden sold 40,693 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.05, for a total transaction of $5,617,668.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 25,392 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,505,365.60. The trade was a 61.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 201,938 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.41, for a total value of $27,546,362.58. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 194,817 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,574,986.97. This trade represents a 50.90% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 349,282 shares of company stock valued at $48,184,324 in the last three months. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on HIG shares. Barclays reduced their price target on The Hartford Insurance Group from $162.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Citigroup boosted their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on The Hartford Insurance Group from $156.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Evercore boosted their price target on The Hartford Insurance Group from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Roth Mkm upped their target price on The Hartford Insurance Group from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $149.56.

The Hartford Insurance Group Company Profile

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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