Monte Financial Group LLC Increases Stock Holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Monte Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 46,922 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,614 shares during the quarter. The Hartford Financial Services Group makes up about 2.2% of Monte Financial Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Monte Financial Group LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $5,133,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HIG. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 437.9% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 871,318 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $95,322,000 after buying an additional 709,324 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 31,680.4% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 694,084 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $816,310,000 after acquiring an additional 691,900 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,938,421 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $430,272,000 after acquiring an additional 581,103 shares in the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec boosted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 42.1% during the third quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 935,298 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $110,000,000 after acquiring an additional 277,295 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC increased its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 7,564.9% during the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 248,648 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $29,243,000 after purchasing an additional 245,404 shares in the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 0.5 %

HIG stock opened at $111.46 on Friday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $85.34 and a twelve month 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 0.26. The company has a market capitalization of $32.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.17, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.98. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $113.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $112.99.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on HIG. Bank of America boosted their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $121.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $113.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. BMO Capital Markets boosted 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 report on Wednesday, November 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $135.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.28.

Insider Activity

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 6,865 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.04, for a total transaction of $803,479.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 25,820 shares in the company, valued at $3,021,972.80. This represents a 21.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 1.60% 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.