Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC Boosts Stock Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 3,429 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $375,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Lifeworks Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 20.4% during the fourth quarter. Lifeworks Advisors LLC now owns 2,910 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $318,000 after acquiring an additional 493 shares during the last quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 198,195 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $21,705,000 after acquiring an additional 12,414 shares during the last quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S. purchased a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter worth about $220,000. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 9,046 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $989,000 after acquiring an additional 4,524 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Haven Private LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter worth about $750,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of HIG stock opened at $117.34 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $33.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.34, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $112.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $114.80. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $94.47 and a 1-year 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 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is 20.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on HIG shares. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. 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 research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.