The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Holdings Lifted by Groupama Asset Managment

Groupama Asset Managment boosted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,792 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 340 shares during the quarter. Groupama Asset Managment’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $1,616,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of HIG. Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter worth $8,387,000. Headlands Technologies LLC boosted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 494.8% in the 4th quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 14,056 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,538,000 after purchasing an additional 11,693 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,251,389 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $792,796,000 after purchasing an additional 81,495 shares in the last quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC acquired a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter worth about $399,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI lifted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 119.3% during the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 373,919 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $40,909,000 after buying an additional 203,447 shares in the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total transaction of $1,539,773.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,712,661.60. The trade was a 29.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total value of $11,805,563.79. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at $25,412,161.98. This trade represents a 31.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:HIG opened at $124.98 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.67 billion, a PE ratio of 12.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $94.47 and a 1 year high of $125.08. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $116.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $115.46.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is 20.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on HIG. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com cut The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Barclays raised The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $124.61.

About The Hartford Financial Services 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.