The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Announces Quarterly Dividend of $0.52

by · The Markets Daily

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG – Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 19th,RTT News reports. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of 0.52 per share by the insurance provider on Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%.

The Hartford Financial Services Group has raised its dividend payment by an average of 10.4% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 12 consecutive years. The Hartford Financial Services Group has a payout ratio of 16.3% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect The Hartford Financial Services Group to earn $12.67 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.08 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 16.4%.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $113.00 on Thursday. The Hartford Financial Services Group has a fifty-two week low of $92.54 and a fifty-two week high of $124.90. The company has a market capitalization of $32.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.92, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $110.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $114.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.32.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.26. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 19.55% and a net margin of 11.72%. On average, analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on HIG. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Barclays raised The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.94.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on The Hartford Financial Services Group

The Hartford Financial Services Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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