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

Vident Advisory LLC decreased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,359 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 694 shares during the quarter. Vident Advisory LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $3,978,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HIG. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 3,023 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $331,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 251.4% during the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 7,078 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $774,000 after purchasing an additional 5,064 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,982 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $545,000 after purchasing an additional 621 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 612.6% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 32,528 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,559,000 after purchasing an additional 27,963 shares during the period. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 58,718 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,424,000 after purchasing an additional 3,576 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,086 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.42, for a total transaction of $129,690.12. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 622 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $74,279.24. The trade was a 63.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 113,429 shares of company stock valued at $13,618,028. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on HIG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of 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 research note on Tuesday. Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Barclays upped their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Financial Services Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $129.71.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE HIG opened at $131.14 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $37.26 billion, a PE ratio of 12.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick 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 $98.16 and a 12-month high of $132.09. The company has a 50-day moving average of $121.27 and a 200 day moving average of $116.57.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.05. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 19.55% and a net margin of 11.72%. The business had revenue of $6.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.34 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal 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.