15,274 Shares in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Purchased by Raiffeisen Bank International AG

Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 15,274 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,669,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HIG. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $416,340,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 881,224 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 48.1% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,264,397 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $247,761,000 after acquiring an additional 735,170 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 11,904.7% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 631,565 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $632,000 after purchasing an additional 626,304 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at $65,256,000. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

Shares of HIG stock opened at $131.09 on Friday. 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 Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $98.16 and a twelve month high of $131.26. The company has a market cap of $37.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $120.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $116.25.

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

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.59%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In related news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was 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 owns 31,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 1,144 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total value of $143,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,385,250. This represents a 0.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 113,429 shares of company stock worth $13,618,028. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HIG has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Raymond James increased their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 31st. Barclays increased 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, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, February 3rd. 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 on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.07.

The Hartford Financial Services Group 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.