Metis Global Partners LLC Has $1.41 Million Stock Holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Metis Global Partners LLC reduced its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 6.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,505 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 1,251 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $1,407,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HIG. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,421,268 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $526,242,000 after purchasing an additional 91,911 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,247,966 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $421,832,000 after buying an additional 105,799 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management lifted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 4,821,885 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $387,583,000 after buying an additional 165,190 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,503,815 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $248,646,000 after buying an additional 87,001 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,363,524 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $238,507,000 after buying an additional 88,131 shares during the period. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HIG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $77.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $117.00 to $111.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $92.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.44.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 0.4 %

The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $99.70 on Thursday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $67.42 and a fifty-two week high of $103.64. The stock has a market cap of $29.49 billion, a PE ratio of 11.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.90. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $98.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $87.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.31.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The insurance provider reported $2.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.43 by ($0.09). The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 20.64% and a net margin of 10.87%. The firm had revenue of $6.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.51 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.68 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 10.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael R. Fisher sold 27,004 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.90, for a total transaction of $2,670,695.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 18,906 shares in the company, valued at $1,869,803.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, CFO Beth Ann Costello sold 38,915 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.42, for a total value of $3,713,269.30. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 69,169 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,600,105.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael R. Fisher sold 27,004 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.90, for a total transaction of $2,670,695.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 18,906 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,869,803.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 90,169 shares of company stock worth $8,676,992. 1.60% of the stock is owned by 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.