Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec Purchases 184,022 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec boosted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 19.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,119,320 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 184,022 shares during the quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec owned about 0.39% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $122,454,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of HIG. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,251,389 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $792,796,000 after acquiring an additional 81,495 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted 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 period. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 581,103 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter worth $416,340,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,537,665 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $387,021,000 after acquiring an additional 519,717 shares in the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,086 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.42, for a total value of $129,690.12. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 622 shares in the company, valued at $74,279.24. The trade was a 63.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 31,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,712,661.60. This trade represents a 29.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 113,429 shares of company stock worth $13,618,028. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock traded up $0.17 on Monday, hitting $125.83. The stock had a trading volume of 1,419,798 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,571,637. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $118.58 and a 200 day moving average of $115.51. 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 Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $98.16 and a twelve month high of $126.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.16, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.68.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $6.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.97 billion. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 19.55%. The Hartford Financial Services Group's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.34 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group's payout ratio is presently 20.74%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of 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 cut 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 research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Raymond James raised their target price 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, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $126.87.

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.