Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Has $7.23 Million Stock Holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 66,127 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 509 shares during the quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $7,234,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 111,134 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $13,063,000 after purchasing an additional 7,350 shares in the last quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd lifted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 137,506 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $16,172,000 after acquiring an additional 4,449 shares during the period. Horizon Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter worth $277,000. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI bought a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 3rd quarter worth $19,005,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 437.9% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 871,318 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $95,322,000 after buying an additional 709,324 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE HIG opened at $119.20 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $34.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.52, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. 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 Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $94.47 and a 12-month high of $124.90. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $114.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $115.05.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In related news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total transaction of $1,539,773.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,712,661.60. The trade was a 29.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total transaction of $11,805,563.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at $25,412,161.98. This represents a 31.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HIG shares. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Barclays upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.