Guidance Capital Inc. Grows Holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Guidance Capital Inc. grew its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 3.5% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 8,391 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 280 shares during the quarter. Guidance Capital Inc.’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $816,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Winthrop Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the first quarter valued at about $220,000. Kathmere Capital Management LLC boosted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 15.6% during the first quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 6,277 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $647,000 after purchasing an additional 849 shares in the last quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB boosted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.2% during the first quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 81,070 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $8,354,000 after purchasing an additional 1,770 shares in the last quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 9.4% during the first quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,929 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $508,000 after purchasing an additional 422 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signet Financial Management LLC boosted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.9% during the first quarter. Signet Financial Management LLC now owns 31,323 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,228,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, EVP Jonathan R. Bennett sold 18,335 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.78, for a total value of $1,847,801.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,643 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,584,301.54. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Jonathan R. Bennett sold 18,335 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.78, for a total value of $1,847,801.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,643 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,584,301.54. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Beth Ann Costello sold 72,076 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.71, for a total value of $7,186,697.96. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 69,169 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,896,840.99. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

HIG stock traded down $2.21 during trading on Friday, hitting $100.54. 3,119,892 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,296,637. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $100.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The company has a market cap of $29.74 billion, a PE ratio of 11.43, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.93. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $68.82 and a 1 year high of $105.20.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The insurance provider reported $2.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $6.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.68 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 9.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 3rd will be issued a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is currently 21.36%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on HIG. Citigroup cut The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $116.00 to $114.00 in a research note on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Friday. TD Cowen increased their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group to $144.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $106.71.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Company 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.