Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Has $256,000 Stock Holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC decreased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 12.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,343 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 340 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $256,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HIG. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 265.5% in the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 1,213,074 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $132,710,000 after buying an additional 881,224 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 437.9% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 871,318 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $95,322,000 after acquiring an additional 709,324 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 11,904.7% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 631,565 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $632,000 after purchasing an additional 626,304 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,938,421 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $430,272,000 after purchasing an additional 581,103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec raised its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 42.1% during the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 935,298 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $110,000,000 after purchasing an additional 277,295 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on HIG shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays raised The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler raised 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

HIG opened at $117.82 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $33.62 billion, a PE ratio of 11.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $112.19 and a 200-day moving average of $114.65. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $94.47 and a 52-week high of $124.90.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last announced its 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 return on equity of 19.55% and a net margin of 11.72%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is presently 20.10%.

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.