Janus Henderson Group PLC Sells 41,584 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Janus Henderson Group PLC trimmed its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 7.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 484,269 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 41,584 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned approximately 0.17% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $52,980,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3,342.9% in the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 241 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the period. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% in the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% in the 4th quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 331 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE HIG opened at $127.95 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $36.35 billion, a PE ratio of 12.36, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $98.16 and a 12 month high of $129.75. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $119.98 and a 200-day moving average of $115.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.34 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate 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 declared 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. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is 20.74%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Raymond James upped their price target 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. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Barclays upped their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Financial Services Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $126.87.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,086 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.42, for a total transaction of $129,690.12. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 622 shares in the company, valued at $74,279.24. This trade represents a 63.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total value of $1,539,773.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,678 shares in the company, valued at $3,712,661.60. The trade was a 29.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 113,429 shares of company stock valued at $13,618,028 in the last quarter. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.