Vest Financial LLC Grows Stock Holdings in The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. $HIG

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC increased its holdings in The Hartford Insurance Group by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter, owning 333,875 shares valued at approximately $42.36 million by the end of the quarter.
• Most analysts have a positive outlook on HIG, with a consensus target price of $140.07, reflecting a general sentiment of "Moderate Buy" in their ratings.
• The Hartford Insurance Group recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.52 per share, translating to an annualized yield of 1.6% and a payout ratio of 18.86%.

Vest Financial LLC grew its holdings in The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 333,875 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 6,397 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC owned about 0.12% of The Hartford Insurance Group worth $42,359,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in HIG. Woodline Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group by 28,218.5% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 757,804 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $93,763,000 after acquiring an additional 755,128 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group in the 1st quarter valued at $87,516,000. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group by 47.0% in the 1st quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 2,141,537 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $264,972,000 after acquiring an additional 684,390 shares during the last quarter. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group by 27.4% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 1,943,498 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $239,905,000 after acquiring an additional 417,951 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group by 38.4% in the 2nd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,493,077 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $189,427,000 after acquiring an additional 414,216 shares during the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on HIG shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $145.00 to $142.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $140.07.

The Hartford Insurance Group Stock Performance

HIG opened at $128.89 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company has a market cap of $36.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.69, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.69. The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $104.93 and a 52-week high of $135.17. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $131.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $126.37.

The Hartford Insurance Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 28th. The insurance provider reported $3.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.58. The business had revenue of $6.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.02 billion. The Hartford Insurance Group had a net margin of 11.83% and a return on equity of 19.60%. The company's revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.50 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were given a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 2nd. The Hartford Insurance Group's dividend payout ratio is 18.86%.

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Insurance Group

In other news, EVP Donald Christian Hunt sold 2,124 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.87, for a total value of $284,339.88. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Beth Ann Costello sold 35,340 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.50, for a total transaction of $4,364,490.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 77,574 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,580,389. This trade represents a 31.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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