Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Purchases 23,782 Shares of The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. $HIG

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 18.9% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 149,607 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 23,782 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Insurance Group were worth $20,019,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in The Hartford Insurance Group during the third quarter valued at $27,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group by 151.1% in the 2nd quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 221 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its position in The Hartford Insurance Group by 72.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 235 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in The Hartford Insurance Group during the second quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Signature Resources Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in The Hartford Insurance Group during the second quarter worth about $38,000. 93.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on HIG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $143.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on The Hartford Insurance Group from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on The Hartford Insurance Group from $151.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on The Hartford Insurance Group from $140.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Insurance Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $148.47.

The Hartford Insurance Group Price Performance

NYSE HIG opened at $129.60 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $135.17 and a 200 day moving average of $130.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.32. The company has a market capitalization of $36.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.59, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.61. The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. has a one year low of $105.98 and a one year high of $140.50.

The Hartford Insurance Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 27th. The insurance provider reported $3.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.76. The Hartford Insurance Group had a net margin of 12.75% and a return on equity of 21.07%. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.53 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were given a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This is a positive change from The Hartford Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The Hartford Insurance Group’s payout ratio is 19.61%.

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Insurance Group

In other news, CFO Beth Ann Costello sold 35,339 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.58, for a total transaction of $4,826,600.62. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 77,574 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,595,056.92. This represents a 31.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Lori A. Rodden sold 7,841 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.41, for a total transaction of $959,816.81. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,252,344. This trade represents a 29.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Insurance Group Profile

The Hartford Financial Services Group, commonly known as The Hartford, is a U.S.-based insurance and investment company that provides a broad range of commercial and personal insurance products and employee benefits. Its core businesses include property and casualty insurance for businesses and individuals, group benefits such as group life, disability and dental plans, and retirement and investment solutions offered through affiliated asset-management operations. The company also delivers risk management, claims-handling and loss-prevention services designed to support policyholders across a variety of industries.

Founded in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1810, The Hartford is one of the oldest insurance organizations in the United States and has a long history of underwriting and product development across multiple insurance lines.