Voya Investment Management LLC Lowers Stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Voya Investment Management LLC decreased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 245,683 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 12,527 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $26,878,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the period. Barrett & Company Inc. lifted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% during the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. DT Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% in the 4th quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 331 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Key Financial Inc increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 526.3% during the 4th quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 357 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the company’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 sale, the chief executive officer now 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total value of $1,539,773.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,712,661.60. The trade was a 29.32 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 112,343 shares of company stock valued at $13,488,337 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on HIG shares. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $133.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $126.40.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of HIG stock opened at $118.79 on Friday. 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $117.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $115.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.68. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $95.00 and a 12 month high of $125.08.

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, 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.34 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.10%.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Company 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.