Clarius Group LLC Sells 211 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Clarius Group LLC lowered its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 7.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,781 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 211 shares during the period. Clarius Group LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $224,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HIG. Norges Bank bought a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter worth about $277,618,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $215,742,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 26.7% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,142,167 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $364,631,000 after acquiring an additional 1,083,420 shares during the period. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 324.6% during the 1st quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 938,693 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $65,418,000 after acquiring an additional 717,613 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 722.9% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 757,100 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $54,367,000 after acquiring an additional 665,100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 956 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.00, for a total transaction of $82,216.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 170,180 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,635,480. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 956 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.00, for a total transaction of $82,216.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 170,180 shares in the company, valued at $14,635,480. 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 14,528 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.97, for a total value of $1,365,196.16. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 46,792 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,397,044.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 253,715 shares of company stock valued at $22,789,138 in the last ninety days. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on HIG shares. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and set a $120.00 target price (up from $100.00) on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $96.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $107.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $106.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.82.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of HIG stock opened at $97.31 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.93 billion, a PE ratio of 12.18, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.89. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $97.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $84.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a one year low of $67.05 and a one year high of $103.64.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 2nd. The insurance provider reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.62. The company had revenue of $6.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.84 billion. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 10.21% and a return on equity of 19.82%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.31 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 10.12 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were given a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.53%.

The Hartford Financial Services 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.