NBC Securities Inc. Sells 637 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

NBC Securities Inc. trimmed its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 28.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,596 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 637 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc.’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $164,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. GoalVest Advisory LLC raised its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 464.8% during the 4th quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 305 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Cape Investment Advisory Inc. raised its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 189.9% in the 4th quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 374 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In related news, CFO Beth Ann Costello sold 72,076 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.71, for a total value of $7,186,697.96. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 69,169 shares in the company, valued at $6,896,840.99. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, EVP Jonathan R. Bennett sold 18,335 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.78, for a total value of $1,847,801.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,643 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,584,301.54. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Beth Ann Costello sold 72,076 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.71, for a total transaction of $7,186,697.96. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 69,169 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,896,840.99. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on HIG. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and set a $120.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $113.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $117.00 to $111.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Roth Mkm lifted their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $110.00 to $109.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $106.24.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $102.94 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $100.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $93.80. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $68.82 and a fifty-two week high of $103.96. The firm has a market cap of $30.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.70, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.93.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The insurance provider reported $2.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $6.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.51 billion. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 20.64% and a net margin of 10.87%. The company’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.68 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 3rd will be paid a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.36%.

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.