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

Prudential Financial Inc. decreased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 12.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 196,138 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 27,436 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. owned 0.07% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $21,457,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HIG. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 7.7% during the third quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 2,557 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $300,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 67,445 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $7,932,000 after purchasing an additional 6,094 shares during the period. Summit Trail Advisors LLC grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 3,445 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $407,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 13.1% in the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 36,753 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,323,000 after purchasing an additional 4,254 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $340,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.94.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total transaction of $11,805,563.79. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at $25,412,161.98. The trade was a 31.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

HIG stock opened at $122.60 on Thursday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a one year low of $94.47 and a one year high of $124.90. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $115.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $115.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.99 billion, a PE ratio of 11.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. 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 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, beating 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%. On average, 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 firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.70%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is 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.