Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. Purchases 9,122 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 84.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,971 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 9,122 shares during the quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $2,185,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in HIG. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,251,389 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $792,796,000 after purchasing an additional 81,495 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,701,675 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $514,363,000 after acquiring an additional 202,487 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,938,421 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $430,272,000 after purchasing an additional 581,103 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter worth about $416,340,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,448,982 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $377,319,000 after purchasing an additional 25,053 shares during the period. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total value of $11,805,563.79. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at $25,412,161.98. The trade was a 31.72 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total transaction of $1,539,773.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,712,661.60. This represents a 29.32 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 112,343 shares of company stock worth $13,488,337 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of HIG stock traded down $0.87 on Wednesday, reaching $121.35. The stock had a trading volume of 788,674 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,566,517. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $96.20 and a 12 month high of $125.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.68. The firm's 50-day moving average is $118.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $115.47.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.97 billion. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 19.55% and a net margin of 11.72%. The business's revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.34 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.71%. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. StockNews.com raised The Hartford Financial Services Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Raymond James boosted their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Seven investment 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $126.87.

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.