Woodward Diversified Capital LLC Buys Shares of 2,009 The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. $HIG

Key Points

• Woodward Diversified Capital LLC has acquired 2,009 shares of The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc., amounting to approximately $255,000.
• The Hartford recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.52 per share, translating to an annualized dividend yield of 1.6%.
• JPMorgan and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods have adjusted their price targets upwards for The Hartford Insurance Group, with the average target currently at $137.93.

Woodward Diversified Capital LLC bought a new stake in The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,009 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $255,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of HIG. Park Square Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in The Hartford Insurance Group by 146.2% in the first quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC now owns 261 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the period. Center for Financial Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group during the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group by 123.8% in the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 291 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group in the 1st quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Signature Resources Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group during the second quarter worth $38,000. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on HIG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on The Hartford Insurance Group from $140.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, September 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $152.00 target price for the company. Finally, Barclays reduced 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 research report on Monday, July 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $137.93.

Insider Activity

In other The Hartford Insurance Group news, CFO Beth Ann Costello sold 35,340 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.50, for a total transaction of $4,364,490.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 77,574 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,580,389. This represents a 31.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Donald Christian Hunt sold 2,124 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.87, for a total transaction of $284,339.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

The Hartford Insurance Group Stock Performance

Shares of HIG opened at $132.94 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $37.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.05, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.69. The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $104.93 and a twelve month high of $135.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.31. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $130.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $125.83.

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

The Hartford Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were issued 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 payout ratio is 18.86%.

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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