Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Has $13.63 Million Stock Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 144.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 124,569 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 73,693 shares during the period. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $13,628,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of HIG. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 353,873 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $41,619,000 after buying an additional 6,605 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 74,650 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $8,780,000 after buying an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 6,576 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $719,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank boosted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 62,855 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,876,000 after buying an additional 3,165 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cooper Financial Group boosted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 12.9% during the 4th quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 2,329 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $255,000 after buying an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $3,712,661.60. This represents a 29.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 1,144 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total transaction of $143,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,385,250. The trade was a 0.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 113,429 shares of company stock worth $13,618,028 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. StockNews.com raised shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Raymond James upped their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $126.87.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Down 0.6%

The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $127.50 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $36.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $98.16 and a twelve month high of $132.49. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $119.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $115.74.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.05. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 19.55%. The firm had revenue of $6.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.34 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is presently 20.74%.

The Hartford Financial Services Group 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.