Nebula Research & Development LLC Takes $754,000 Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Nebula Research & Development LLC bought a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 6,896 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $754,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the third quarter worth about $661,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the third quarter worth approximately $514,000. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 73.0% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 17,774 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,090,000 after buying an additional 7,500 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.0% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 10,029 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,180,000 after acquiring an additional 384 shares during the period. Finally, Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp purchased a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the third quarter worth approximately $420,000. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays raised their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Raymond James upped their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Financial Services Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $126.40.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HIG opened at $118.79 on Monday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $95.00 and a 12 month high of $125.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.68. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $117.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $115.39. 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 Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.05. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 19.55% and a net margin of 11.72%. The company had revenue of $6.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.34 earnings per share. As a group, equities 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 Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was 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 $3,712,661.60. The trade was a 29.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 1,144 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total value of $143,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,385,250. This trade represents a 0.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 112,343 shares of company stock worth $13,488,337. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

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.