Key Financial Inc Buys 300 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Key Financial Inc lifted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 526.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 357 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the quarter. Key Financial Inc’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $39,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HIG. DT Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3,342.9% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 241 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the period. Barrett & Company Inc. grew 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 period. BNP Paribas bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HIG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Barclays upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped 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. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Nine investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

NYSE:HIG opened at $112.70 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $110.94 and its 200 day moving average is $114.04. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $92.54 and a fifty-two week high of $124.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.67 billion, a PE ratio of 10.89, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.32.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.23 earnings per share for the current year.

About The Hartford Financial Services Group

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.