HARTFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Hartford ranks highest among insurance companies on Forbes and JUST Capital’s list of America’s Most “JUST” Companies for 2020. The Hartford ranked in the top 25 overall out of 100 companies, outperforming its peers in the Russell 1000.
“We are proud to be recognized as one of America’s Most ‘Just’ Companies,” said The Hartford’s Head of Corporate Sustainability Diane Cantello. “At The Hartford, we believe that making a positive difference in the world is the right thing to do and a business imperative for our customers, business partners and shareholders. Our focus and impact extends beyond the quality of our products and services to encompass our responsibilities as an employer, neighbor, member of the global community and steward of the planet’s natural resources.”
For the second consecutive year The Hartford is included on the JUST 100 list, surpassing many other companies on issues such as fair pay and employee benefits, customer treatment and privacy, environmental impact, community support as well as ethical leadership and long-term financial growth. JUST Capital evaluates the 1,000 largest publicly traded U.S. companies on a range of factors determined through one of the most comprehensive survey processes ever conducted measuring public perception of corporate behavior by engaging 9,000 American respondents in 2019 and 96,000 total participants over the past six years.
“The JUST 100 companies demonstrate what good looks like in delivering value to all stakeholders – employees, customers, communities, as well as shareholders,” said Forbes Chief Content Officer Randall Lane. “These companies are leading the way in building long-term value.”
All of America’s Most JUST Companies will be included in Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s JUST U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF (Ticker: JUST) – the first ever exchange-traded fund based on just business behavior, constructed from JUST Capital’s annual rankings, which will rebalance in December 2019.
“America’s Most JUST Companies are measurably outperforming their peers on the key Issues Americans care about most: taking care of employees by paying a fair and living wage, providing good benefits, as well as equal opportunity and career development,” said Martin Whittaker, CEO of JUST Capital. “Creating value for shareholders and stakeholders is not a zero sum game, with JUST companies earning 6% higher Return-on-Equity than their peers.”
The Hartford’s sustainability strategy is built on measurable goals intended to both create long-term shareholder value and contribute positively to society at large, as outlined in the most recent Sustainability Highlight Report. Earlier this year, The Hartford was recognized as a sustainability leader by being named to the 2019 Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for the eighth time. The Dow Jones Sustainability Indices are the standard for assessing a company’s environmental, social and governance performance. The indices are maintained collaboratively by S&P Dow Jones Indices and RobecoSAM. The Hartford was also included in the FTSE4Good Index Series, a Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) series designed to measure the performance of companies demonstrating strong environmental, social and governance practices, for a second consecutive year in 2019.
About the Methodology
JUST Capital conducted its 2019 Survey, which included 9,000 respondents, in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago and YouGov. The survey work consists of both qualitative focus groups and quantitative surveys, as described in the Rankings methodology. JUST Capital then tracks and evaluates corporate performance against the people’s priorities across 380,000 data points, and creates the ranking model that drives America’s Most JUST Companies, including the JUST 100 and Industry Leader lists. The selection of companies draws from the Russell 1000 Index, which represents over 90 percent of the U.S. stock market value.
About The Hartford
The Hartford is a leader in property and casualty insurance, group benefits and mutual funds. With more than 200 years of expertise, The Hartford is widely recognized for its service excellence, sustainability practices, trust and integrity. More information on the company and its financial performance is available at https://www.thehartford.com. Follow us on Twitter at @TheHartford_PR.
The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., (NYSE: HIG) operates through its subsidiaries under the brand name, The Hartford, and is headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. For additional details, please read The Hartford’s legal notice.
About JUST Capital
JUST Capital, an independent, nonprofit organization, aligns business practices with the priorities of the American people to ensure capitalism works for all. Our research, rankings, indexes, and data-driven tools help people make more informed decisions about where to invest, work, and buy to direct capital toward companies advancing a more just future.
About Forbes Media
Forbes Media is a global media, branding and technology company, with a focus on news and information about business, investing, technology, entrepreneurship, leadership and affluent lifestyles. The company publishes Forbes and Forbes Asia magazines, as well as Forbes.com. The Forbes brand today reaches more than 117 million people worldwide with its business message each month through its magazines and 38 licensed local editions around the globe, Forbes.com, TV, conferences, research, social and mobile platforms. Forbes Media’s brand extensions include conferences, education, financial services and brand licensing.
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Some of the statements in this release may be considered forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We caution investors that these forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results may differ materially. Investors should consider the important risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ. These important risks and uncertainties include those discussed in our 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-Q, and the other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We assume no obligation to update this release, which speaks as of the date issued.
From time to time, The Hartford may use its website and/or social media outlets, such as Twitter and Facebook, to disseminate material company information. Financial and other important information regarding The Hartford is routinely accessible through and posted on our website at https://ir.thehartford.com, Twitter account at www.twitter.com/TheHartford_PR and Facebook at https://facebook.com/thehartford. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about The Hartford when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Email Alerts” section at https://ir.thehartford.com.
