RiverFront Investment Group LLC Purchases 6,483 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

RiverFront Investment Group LLC increased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 8.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 83,643 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,483 shares during the quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $6,722,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of HIG. GoalVest Advisory LLC increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 464.8% during the 4th quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 305 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Selway Asset Management acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Down 3.8 %

HIG stock traded down $3.79 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $95.30. 2,889,683 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,622,156. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.83, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.89. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $98.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $86.34. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $67.05 and a 12-month high of $103.64.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The insurance provider reported $2.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.43 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $6.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.51 billion. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 21.04% and a net margin of 10.87%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.68 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 10.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th were paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP David C. Robinson sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.64, for a total value of $1,344,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 8,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $735,137.64. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP David C. Robinson sold 15,000 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.64, for a total value of $1,344,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 8,201 shares in the company, valued at $735,137.64. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Beth Ann Costello sold 38,915 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.42, for a total transaction of $3,713,269.30. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 69,169 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,600,105.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 106,501 shares of company stock valued at $10,141,126 over the last 90 days. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $92.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $96.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group to $144.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $107.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $91.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Financial Services Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.81.

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.