The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Shares Sold by Gryphon Financial Partners LLC

Gryphon Financial Partners LLC cut its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 4.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,195 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 200 shares during the quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $459,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 40.4% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,378 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $479,000 after buying an additional 1,259 shares in the last quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 718.9% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,604 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 2,286 shares in the last quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $58,000. Bailard Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 11.8% in the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 21,388 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,340,000 after buying an additional 2,261 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Purkiss Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $219,000. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE HIG opened at $119.77 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $34.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.97. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $94.32 and a 12-month high of $124.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $111.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $114.58.

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

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HIG shares. Barclays upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.94.

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.