Hartford Financial (NYSE: HIG) reported Q4 EPS of $1.47, $0.14 better than the analyst estimate of $1.33.

• Fourth quarter 2020 net income available to common stockholders of $532 million ($1.47 per diluted share) decreased 2% from fourth quarter 2019, and core earnings* of $636 million (core earnings per diluted share* of $1.76) rose 22% from fourth quarter 2019
• Full year 2020 net income available to common stockholders of $1.7 billion ($4.76 per diluted share) decreased 17% from full year 2019. Full year 2020 core earnings of $2.1 billion ($5.78 per diluted share) increased 1% from full year 2019
• Net income ROE for the trailing 12-month period ended Dec. 31, 2020, was 10.0% and core earnings ROE* for the same period was 12.7%
• Book value per diluted share was $50.39, compared to $43.85 at Dec. 31, 2019; book value per diluted share excluding accumulated other comprehensive income (AOCI)* rose 8% to $47.16
• Commercial Lines combined ratio of 91.8 compared with 98.2 in fourth quarter 2019; underlying combined ratio* of 90.7 was 5.2 points better than fourth quarter 2019 with underlying margin improvement across Small Commercial, Middle & Large Commercial and Global Specialty. Commercial Lines included $28 million, before tax, or 1.3 points of COVID-19 losses in the quarter
• Group Benefits net income margin was 3.9% in fourth quarter 2020 compared with 10.5% in the year prior. Core earnings margin* was 3.3% in fourth quarter 2020, compared with 10.6% in the year prior. Group Benefits experienced excess mortality of $152 million, before tax, or 8.1 points of margin impact, in fourth quarter 2020, primarily caused by direct and indirect impacts of COVID-19
• Capital management actions include a quarterly dividend increase of 8% to $0.35 per common share, payable Apr. 2, 2021 to shareholders of record at the close of business on Mar. 1, 2021, and the previously announced share repurchase authorization of $1.5 billion, effective Jan.1, 2021 through Dec. 31, 2022

For earnings history and earnings-related data on Hartford Financial (HIG) click here.