The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Shares Bought by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 60.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 797,834 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 300,245 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.28% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $87,283,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% in the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% in the fourth quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 331 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of 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, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of 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. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $126.87.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Down 0.6 %

HIG traded down $0.71 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $127.50. 1,350,259 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,573,679. 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 Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $98.16 and a 52 week high of $129.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $119.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $115.77.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.34 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The Hartford Financial Services Group's payout ratio is 20.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 1,144 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total value of $143,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at $26,385,250. The trade was a 0.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,086 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.42, for a total value of $129,690.12. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 622 shares of the company's stock, valued at $74,279.24. This represents a 63.58 % decrease in their position. 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. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.