The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Shares Sold by Natixis Advisors LLC

Natixis Advisors LLC decreased its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 180,606 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 1,991 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $19,758,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC raised its stake in 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 valued at $337,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,444 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $287,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,468 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $489,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

HIG opened at $118.81 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $113.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $114.96. 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 12-month low of $94.47 and a 12-month high of $124.90.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share (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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is presently 20.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on HIG. StockNews.com downgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped 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 research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Ten research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Financial Services Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.94.

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total value of $1,539,773.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,678 shares in the company, valued at $3,712,661.60. This represents a 29.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.