Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Buys Shares of 18,200 The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 18,200 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,463,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of HIG. MV Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,416 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Realta Investment Advisors increased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 3,635 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $292,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 1,715 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $129,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,857 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $415,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Perigon Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,204 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $258,000 after buying an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $98.95 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $29.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.38, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $97.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $85.36.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 2nd. The insurance provider reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by $0.62. The company had revenue of $6.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.31 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 10.13 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.90%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.53%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 956 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.00, for a total value of $82,216.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 170,180 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,635,480. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, 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 transaction of $1,365,196.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 46,792 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,397,044.24. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 956 shares of the firm’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 of the company’s stock, valued at $14,635,480. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 202,264 shares of company stock worth $18,438,369 in the last 90 days. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HIG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group to $144.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $94.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $107.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $106.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, April 1st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.56.

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.