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

Ellevest Inc. lessened its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 5.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,911 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 111 shares during the period. Ellevest Inc.’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $209,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of HIG. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,079 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $337,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,468 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $489,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,499 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,258,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 475 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE:HIG opened at $127.50 on Monday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $98.16 and a 12 month high of $132.49. The firm has a market cap of $36.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70. 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 company’s 50 day moving average is $119.54 and its 200-day moving average is $115.74.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $6.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.34 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS 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 dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction on 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 $3,712,661.60. The trade was a 29.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,086 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.42, for a total transaction of $129,690.12. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 622 shares in the company, valued at $74,279.24. This represents a 63.58% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 113,429 shares of company stock valued at $13,618,028. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HIG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group raised their target price 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. Barclays raised their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Seven equities research 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Financial Services Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $126.87.

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.