Horizon Investment Services LLC Grows Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Horizon Investment Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 39,886 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,441 shares during the period. The Hartford Financial Services Group accounts for about 1.9% of Horizon Investment Services LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Horizon Investment Services LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $4,364,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3,342.9% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 241 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. lifted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% during the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas bought a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% in the 4th quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 331 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HIG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com cut The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Financial Services Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.94.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:HIG opened at $122.21 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $34.88 billion, a PE ratio of 11.81, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $94.47 and a 12-month high of $124.90. The business has a 50 day moving average of $115.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $115.27. 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 (NYSE:HIG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.70%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.10%.

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.