The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have assigned a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $148.1250.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on HIG shares. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $140.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $151.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th.

Insider Activity at The Hartford Insurance Group

In other The Hartford Insurance Group news, CFO Beth Ann Costello sold 35,339 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.58, for a total value of $4,826,600.62. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 77,574 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,595,056.92. This represents a 31.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lori A. Rodden sold 40,693 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.05, for a total value of $5,617,668.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 25,392 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,365.60. The trade was a 61.58% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 384,621 shares of company stock worth $53,010,925 in the last ninety days. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Hartford Insurance Group

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HIG. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its position in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group by 137.8% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 118,665 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $16,352,000 after purchasing an additional 68,765 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors raised its position in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group by 59.4% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 6,304 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $869,000 after buying an additional 2,349 shares in the last quarter. Larry Mathis Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $234,000. Advisortrust Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $268,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 100,753 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $13,884,000 after buying an additional 5,423 shares during the period. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

The Hartford Insurance Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HIG opened at $134.79 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The company has a market capitalization of $37.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.60. The Hartford Insurance Group has a 12 month low of $107.49 and a 12 month high of $144.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $136.84 and a 200-day moving average of $133.95.

The Hartford Insurance Group (NYSE:HIG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $4.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.84. The Hartford Insurance Group had a return on equity of 21.92% and a net margin of 13.52%.The business had revenue of $7.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.29 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.94 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Hartford Insurance Group will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. The Hartford Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.99%.

The Hartford Insurance Group Company Profile

The Hartford Financial Services Group, commonly known as The Hartford, is a U.S.-based insurance and investment company that provides a broad range of commercial and personal insurance products and employee benefits. Its core businesses include property and casualty insurance for businesses and individuals, group benefits such as group life, disability and dental plans, and retirement and investment solutions offered through affiliated asset-management operations. The company also delivers risk management, claims-handling and loss-prevention services designed to support policyholders across a variety of industries.

Founded in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1810, The Hartford is one of the oldest insurance organizations in the United States and has a long history of underwriting and product development across multiple insurance lines.