Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Increases Stock Position in The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. $HIG

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 25.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 351,366 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 71,980 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Insurance Group were worth $48,418,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in The Hartford Insurance Group by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 1,745 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $240,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in The Hartford Insurance Group by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,137 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,810,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in The Hartford Insurance Group by 45.3% during the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 279 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in The Hartford Insurance Group by 16.4% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 619 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in The Hartford Insurance Group by 12.7% during the third quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 790 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $105,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Hartford Insurance Group Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of HIG opened at $132.25 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $119.61 and a 12-month high of $144.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $134.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.47.

The Hartford Insurance Group (NYSE:HIG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The insurance provider reported $3.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.39 by ($0.30). The Hartford Insurance Group had a net margin of 14.10% and a return on equity of 22.52%. The firm had revenue of $7.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.41 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.20 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. will post 13.12 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. The Hartford Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.87%.

Insider Activity

In other The Hartford Insurance Group news, EVP Lori A. Rodden sold 40,693 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.05, for a total transaction of $5,617,668.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 25,392 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,505,365.60. This trade represents a 61.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, President Adin M. Tooker sold 8,895 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.13, for a total transaction of $1,201,981.35. Following the transaction, the president directly owned 38,208 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,163,047.04. This trade represents a 18.88% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on HIG. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $159.00 to $154.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $136.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $157.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.19.

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.