Natixis Advisors L.P. Increases Stock Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Natixis Advisors L.P. grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 5.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 472,651 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 26,178 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P.’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $37,991,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in HIG. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 91,493 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $6,488,000 after buying an additional 1,964 shares in the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 20.2% during the third quarter. SVB Wealth LLC now owns 9,811 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $696,000 after acquiring an additional 1,649 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.3% in the third quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 43,629 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,094,000 after purchasing an additional 1,412 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 5.0% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 125,961 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $8,932,000 after purchasing an additional 5,946 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.8% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,719,651 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $192,850,000 after purchasing an additional 21,740 shares in the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

HIG traded up $0.41 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $97.90. 1,358,945 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,787,088. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $98.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $86.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $67.05 and a 1-year high of $103.64.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The insurance provider reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by ($0.09). The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 10.87% and a return on equity of 20.64%. The business had revenue of $6.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.51 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.68 earnings per share. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 10.03 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.92%. 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 Activity

In other news, EVP Michael R. Fisher sold 27,004 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 18,906 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,869,803.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,516 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.55, for a total value of $143,337.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $59,566.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael R. Fisher sold 27,004 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 18,906 shares in the company, valued at $1,869,803.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 106,501 shares of company stock worth $10,141,126 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HIG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Citigroup upped their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $109.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $92.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group to $144.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $77.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $105.44.

The Hartford Financial Services Group 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.