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

Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec increased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 19.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,119,320 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 184,022 shares during the period. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec owned about 0.39% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $122,454,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter worth $46,271,000. Guardian Capital LP lifted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Guardian Capital LP now owns 146,584 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $16,036,000 after acquiring an additional 1,740 shares during the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 11,641 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,274,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC increased its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 93.5% during the 4th quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 123,665 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $13,529,000 after purchasing an additional 59,765 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,843,118 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $201,637,000 after purchasing an additional 128,258 shares during the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In related news, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,086 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.42, for a total transaction of $129,690.12. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 622 shares in the company, valued at approximately $74,279.24. This trade represents a 63.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total value of $11,805,563.79. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,082 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $25,412,161.98. This represents a 31.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 113,429 shares of company stock worth $13,618,028 in the last quarter. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HIG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays boosted their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $126.87.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of HIG stock traded up $0.78 on Tuesday, reaching $126.49. 375,423 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,712,701. 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 company has a 50-day moving average of $118.79 and a 200-day moving average of $115.54. The company has a market cap of $35.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.22, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a one year low of $98.16 and a one year high of $126.80.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.34 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio is 20.74%.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Company 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.