Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Buys 20,462 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 12.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 180,374 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,462 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.06% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $14,498,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GoalVest Advisory LLC raised its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 464.8% during the fourth quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 305 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Selway Asset Management acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

HIG traded up $0.87 during trading on Monday, hitting $99.82. 1,418,613 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,798,479. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $97.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $85.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $67.05 and a twelve month high of $103.64. The company has a market cap of $29.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.49, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.89.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 2nd. The insurance provider reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.62. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 19.82% and a net margin of 10.21%. The business had revenue of $6.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.31 EPS. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 10.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

HIG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $106.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $94.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $91.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $109.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Roth Mkm upped their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 94,807 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.65, for a total value of $8,215,026.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 170,180 shares in the company, valued at $14,746,097. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,332 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.74, for a total transaction of $119,533.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $56,536.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 94,807 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.65, for a total transaction of $8,215,026.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 170,180 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,746,097. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 201,308 shares of company stock worth $18,356,153 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

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.