Wellington to Buy Hartford Funds for $1.9 Billion in Wealth Push

Wellington Management Co. agreed to buy the asset-management division of The Hartford as the Boston-based investment firm pushes ahead with a wealth expansion.

The deal has a net present value of $1.9 billion and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2027, after receiving regulatory and fund approvals, according to a statement Wednesday.

Wellington, which has more than $1.35 trillion under management, currently sub-advises 83% of Hartford Funds’ roughly $160 billion in assets. As part of the transaction, Hartford will receive $300 million in cash at closing and additional payments over seven years based on the available after-tax cash generated by the combination of Hartford Funds and funds Wellington manages on their behalf.

Wellington has traditionally served institutional investors such as pension funds and endowments, but has recently focused on making its brand known among retail investors. Last year, the firm hired Goldman Sachs Group Inc. veteran Christina Kopec Rooney to lead its push into the wealth market.

At the start of the year, Wellington launched its first-ever advertising campaign for the US wealth market, and also has been building out its private-markets business to create products for retail investors. As part of the effort, it has partnered with Vanguard Group and private equity giant Blackstone Inc.

The deal with Hartford comes amid consolidation in asset management, with recent deals including Nuveen’s planned acquisition of historic British asset manager Schroders Plc and a deal for Nelson Peltz’s Trian Fund Management and General Catalyst to buy Janus Henderson Group Plc.