Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Has $21.03 Million Stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lessened its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 11.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 192,213 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 25,426 shares during the quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV owned about 0.07% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $21,028,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in HIG. Horizon Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $277,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 437.9% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 871,318 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $95,322,000 after purchasing an additional 709,324 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.5% in 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 purchasing an additional 202,487 shares during the period. Suncoast Equity Management acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at $311,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 62.1% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 28,622 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $3,131,000 after buying an additional 10,964 shares during the period. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,086 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.42, for a total transaction of $129,690.12. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 622 shares in the company, valued at approximately $74,279.24. This trade represents a 63.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total transaction of $11,805,563.79. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at $25,412,161.98. The trade was a 31.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 113,429 shares of company stock worth $13,618,028. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on HIG shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. StockNews.com raised The Hartford Financial Services Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on 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. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $126.87.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock traded up $1.37 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $127.95. The stock had a trading volume of 277,947 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,566,570. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $98.16 and a fifty-two week high of $130.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $36.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.36, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70. The business has a fifty day moving average of $118.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $115.62.

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

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.74%.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Company 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.