Sanctuary Advisors LLC Has $3.47 Million Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 30,349 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 835 shares during the quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $3,468,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd boosted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 265.5% during the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 1,213,074 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $132,710,000 after purchasing an additional 881,224 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 437.9% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 871,318 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $95,322,000 after buying an additional 709,324 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in 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 worth $430,272,000 after acquiring an additional 581,103 shares in the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 42.1% in 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 period. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 7,564.9% during the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 248,648 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $29,243,000 after acquiring an additional 245,404 shares in the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

NYSE HIG opened at $111.37 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $32.28 billion, a PE ratio of 10.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $93.78 and a 52-week high of $124.90. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $110.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $114.05.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, research analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Barclays upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.94.

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.