Kesler Norman & Wride LLC Invests $880,000 in The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. $HIG

Kesler Norman & Wride LLC bought a new stake in The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm bought 6,386 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $880,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its stake in The Hartford Insurance Group by 707.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 210 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in The Hartford Insurance Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group by 144.8% during the fourth quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 257 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HIG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $158.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $149.00 price target (down from $163.00) on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their target price on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Nine investment 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 has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.31.

Insider Activity

In related news, President Adin M. Tooker sold 8,895 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.13, for a total value of $1,201,981.35. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 38,208 shares in the company, valued at $5,163,047.04. This trade represents a 18.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Lori A. Rodden sold 40,693 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 25,392 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,505,365.60. The trade was a 61.58% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

The Hartford Insurance Group Price Performance

The Hartford Insurance Group stock opened at $126.15 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $135.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $135.91. The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $119.61 and a 12 month high of $144.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.58 billion, a PE ratio of 8.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.47.

The Hartford Insurance Group (NYSE:HIG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The insurance provider reported $3.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.39 by ($0.30). The firm had revenue of $7.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.41 billion. The Hartford Insurance Group had a net margin of 14.10% and a return on equity of 22.52%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.20 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. will post 13.17 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The Hartford Insurance Group’s payout ratio is presently 16.87%.

About The Hartford Insurance Group

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.