MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. Raises Stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 129,664 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 7,006 shares during the quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd.'s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $14,185,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 239,531 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $26,203,000 after buying an additional 1,482 shares in the last quarter. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter worth $27,876,000. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 144.8% in the fourth quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC now owns 124,569 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $13,628,000 after purchasing an additional 73,693 shares in the last quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 31.8% during the 4th quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 145,804 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $15,951,000 after purchasing an additional 35,138 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 16.9% during the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 14,369 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,572,000 after purchasing an additional 2,077 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James upped their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays increased their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $133.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $129.71.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE HIG traded up $0.54 during trading on Monday, hitting $131.66. 1,205,054 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,569,818. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $120.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $116.32. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $98.16 and a 12-month high of $132.49. The firm has a market cap of $37.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.72, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70. 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 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 firm had revenue of $6.81 billion for 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 company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.34 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.58%. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio is 20.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In related news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total transaction of $1,539,773.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,712,661.60. This trade represents a 29.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was 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 directly owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,412,161.98. This represents 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 valued at $13,618,028. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.