Barclays Boosts The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) Price Target to $145.00

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) had its price objective raised by Barclays from $140.00 to $145.00 in a report published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the insurance provider's stock.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on HIG. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $133.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Raymond James boosted their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $126.87.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE HIG traded down $0.24 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $121.98. 444,205 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,564,915. The Hartford Financial Services Group has a twelve month low of $96.20 and a twelve month high of $125.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.32. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $118.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $115.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.79, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.68.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last released its 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 firm had revenue of $6.81 billion during 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 Hartford Financial Services Group's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.71%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.10%.

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 1,144 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total transaction of $143,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,385,250. The trade was a 0.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,712,661.60. This trade represents a 29.32 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 112,343 shares of company stock valued at $13,488,337 in the last 90 days. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,251,389 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $792,796,000 after purchasing an additional 81,495 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,701,675 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $514,363,000 after purchasing an additional 202,487 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.3% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,938,421 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $430,272,000 after purchasing an additional 581,103 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,830,462 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $419,053,000 after purchasing an additional 234,320 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $416,340,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company's stock.

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.