Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Purchases 1,943 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 16.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,611 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,943 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $1,489,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,079 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $337,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% during the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,444 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $287,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,468 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $489,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. increased its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,499 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,258,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In related news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total transaction of $1,539,773.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,712,661.60. The trade was a 29.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of HIG stock opened at $119.06 on Friday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $94.47 and a 1 year high of $124.90. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $113.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $114.91. The company has a market cap of $33.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.50, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is currently 20.10%.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Company Profile

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.