Cognios Beta Neutral Large Cap Fund LP Has $460,000 Holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Cognios Beta Neutral Large Cap Fund LP cut its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 10.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 5,724 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 688 shares during the quarter. Cognios Beta Neutral Large Cap Fund LP’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $460,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HIG. MV Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,416 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $114,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Realta Investment Advisors grew its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 3,635 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $292,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,857 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $415,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,204 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $258,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. grew its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 10,490 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $744,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup upped their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $109.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $106.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Roth Mkm upped their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $77.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group to $144.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.56.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Beth Ann Costello sold 38,915 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.42, for a total transaction of $3,713,269.30. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 69,169 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,600,105.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Beth Ann Costello sold 38,915 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.42, for a total transaction of $3,713,269.30. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 69,169 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,600,105.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,332 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.74, for a total value of $119,533.68. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 630 shares in the company, valued at $56,536.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 106,501 shares of company stock worth $10,141,126. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

HIG traded down $0.17 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $99.86. 1,871,304 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,797,402. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market cap of $29.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.89. The company’s 50-day moving average is $98.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $85.88. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $67.05 and a 12-month high of $103.64.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 2nd. The insurance provider reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.62. The firm had revenue of $6.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.84 billion. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 19.82% and a net margin of 10.21%. The company’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.31 EPS. Research analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 10.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.88%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.53%.

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.