The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Tuesday morning.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of 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. Barclays upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Financial Services Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

NYSE HIG opened at $116.53 on Tuesday. The Hartford Financial Services Group has a 52 week low of $94.32 and a 52 week high of $124.90. 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 cap of $33.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $111.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $114.32.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.26. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 19.55%. Analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.10%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Hartford Financial Services Group

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $279,000. Armis Advisers LLC acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $381,000. Challenger Wealth Management acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $716,000. Toronto Dominion Bank increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 155,542 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $17,016,000 after buying an additional 8,567 shares during the period. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 101.9% in the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 9,601 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,050,000 after buying an additional 4,845 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

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.