Natixis Advisors LLC Increases Stock Position in Selective Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIGI)

Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in Selective Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIGI) by 12.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 180,268 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,691 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Selective Insurance Group were worth $16,858,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in SIGI. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Selective Insurance Group by 28.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,468,801 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $510,239,000 after purchasing an additional 1,216,801 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Selective Insurance Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $69,504,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Selective Insurance Group in the third quarter valued at about $37,726,000. Eagle Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Selective Insurance Group by 112.7% in the third quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 427,180 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $42,667,000 after purchasing an additional 226,387 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Selective Insurance Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $203,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.88% of the company’s stock.

Selective Insurance Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SIGI opened at $88.52 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.38 billion, a PE ratio of 27.49 and a beta of 0.54. Selective Insurance Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $78.13 and a twelve month high of $109.58. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $86.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $91.84.

Selective Insurance Group (NASDAQ:SIGI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by ($0.37). Selective Insurance Group had a return on equity of 7.33% and a net margin of 4.26%. Equities analysts forecast that Selective Insurance Group, Inc. will post 7.62 EPS for the current year.

Selective Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $0.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.72%. Selective Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on SIGI shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and set a $93.00 price objective (down previously from $116.00) on shares of Selective Insurance Group in a report on Friday, February 7th. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Selective Insurance Group in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Selective Insurance Group from $95.00 to $87.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Selective Insurance Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $98.71.

About Selective Insurance Group

Selective Insurance Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance products and services in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Standard Commercial Lines, Standard Personal Lines, E&S Lines, and Investments. It offers casualty insurance products that covers the financial consequences of employee injuries in the course of employment and bodily injury and/or property damage to a third party; property insurance products, which covers the accidental loss of an insured's real property, personal property, and/or earnings due to the property's loss; and flood insurance products.