The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Shares Sold by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP cut its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,287,632 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 68,350 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 1.82% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $578,468,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 15.1% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,683,531 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $293,578,000 after acquiring an additional 352,282 shares during the last quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.6% during the 4th quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,844 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,186,000 after buying an additional 1,626 shares during the period. GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 38.1% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 14,976 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,638,000 after acquiring an additional 4,135 shares in the last quarter. Dean Investment Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Dean Investment Associates LLC now owns 29,114 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,185,000 after buying an additional 1,259 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 38.8% during the 4th quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 347,211 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $37,985,000 after acquiring an additional 96,974 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HIG has been the topic of several research reports. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. StockNews.com raised shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Barclays raised their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.13.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 0.6 %

The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $117.84 on Friday. 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 $125.08. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $117.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $115.35. The stock has a market cap of $33.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.68.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last announced 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 return on equity of 19.55% and a net margin of 11.72%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.77%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 1,144 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total value of $143,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,385,250. This trade represents a 0.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,712,661.60. This trade represents a 29.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 112,343 shares of company stock valued at $13,488,337 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

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.