1,212 Shares in The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. $HIG Acquired by Virtus Advisers LLC

Virtus Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,212 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $154,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HIG. Private Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group by 151.1% during the second 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 during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its stake in The Hartford Insurance Group by 72.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 235 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group during the second quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group by 129.3% during the second quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 321 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at The Hartford Insurance Group

In related news, EVP Donald Christian Hunt sold 2,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.87, for a total transaction of $284,339.88. The sale 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 company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.41, for a total value of $959,816.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,400 shares in the company, valued at $2,252,344. This trade represents a 29.88% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on HIG. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on The Hartford Insurance Group from $147.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on The Hartford Insurance Group from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, November 17th. Citigroup initiated coverage on The Hartford Insurance Group in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $138.00 target price for the company. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $145.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $143.29.

The Hartford Insurance Group Stock Performance

NYSE:HIG opened at $137.03 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.18 billion, a PE ratio of 11.19, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.69. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $130.30 and its 200 day moving average is $128.66. The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $104.93 and a fifty-two week high of $138.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.32.

The Hartford Insurance Group (NYSE:HIG) last announced its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.53 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 1st. This is an increase from The Hartford Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The Hartford Insurance Group’s payout ratio is 19.61%.

About The Hartford Insurance 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.