Cetera Investment Advisers Increases Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 54,735 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,372 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $5,988,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in HIG. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 353,873 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $41,619,000 after purchasing an additional 6,605 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 6,576 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $719,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 62,855 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $6,876,000 after purchasing an additional 3,165 shares in the last quarter. Cooper Financial Group increased its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 2,329 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $521,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $127.95 on Wednesday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $98.16 and a 12-month high of $129.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $119.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $115.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.05. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 19.55%. The company had revenue of $6.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.97 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.34 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,086 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.42, for a total value of $129,690.12. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 622 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $74,279.24. This trade represents a 63.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total transaction of $11,805,563.79. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at $25,412,161.98. This represents a 31.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 113,429 shares of company stock valued at $13,618,028. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on HIG. StockNews.com downgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $133.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $126.87.

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.