Leuthold Group LLC Sells 1,287 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Leuthold Group LLC lessened its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,502 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 1,287 shares during the period. Leuthold Group LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $4,103,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 43.8% during the fourth quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 809,411 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $88,550,000 after purchasing an additional 246,528 shares during the period. Suncoast Equity Management acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $311,000. ING Groep NV bought a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,433,000. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 20,729 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,268,000 after buying an additional 2,004 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Place Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Summit Place Financial Advisors LLC now owns 26,745 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,926,000 after acquiring an additional 835 shares in the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $111.37 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $32.28 billion, a PE ratio of 10.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.97. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $93.78 and a 1 year high of $124.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $110.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $114.05.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on HIG. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays raised shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.94.

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.