Insider Selling: The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) CEO Sells 1,144 Shares of Stock

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) CEO Christopher Swift sold 1,144 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total transaction of $143,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at $26,385,250. This trade represents a 0.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Christopher Swift also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, March 17th, Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total value of $11,805,563.79.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Down 8.0 %

Shares of HIG stock opened at $113.56 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $32.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.97, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $94.47 and a fifty-two week high of $125.08. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $116.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $115.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.32.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.26. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 19.55%. Research analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.83%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.10%.

Institutional Trading of The Hartford Financial Services Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3,342.9% in the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 241 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the period. Barrett & Company Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% in the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% during the fourth quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 331 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on HIG shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Raymond James raised their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. StockNews.com cut shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.47.

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.