Cetera Investment Advisers Acquires 2,372 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 54,735 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 2,372 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $5,988,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of HIG. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at $416,340,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 265.5% in the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 1,213,074 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $132,710,000 after acquiring an additional 881,224 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 48.1% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,264,397 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $247,761,000 after acquiring an additional 735,170 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 437.9% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 871,318 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $95,322,000 after acquiring an additional 709,324 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 11,904.7% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 631,565 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $632,000 after acquiring an additional 626,304 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company's stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HIG traded up $0.54 during trading on Monday, hitting $131.66. 1,205,054 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,569,819. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $98.16 and a 1-year high of $132.09. The company has a market capitalization of $37.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $120.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $116.47. 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 (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last announced 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 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.34 EPS. The Hartford Financial Services Group's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio is 20.74%.

Insider Activity at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In related news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the business's 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,712,661.60. The trade was a 29.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 622 shares in the company, valued at approximately $74,279.24. This represents a 63.58% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 113,429 shares of company stock valued at $13,618,028 in the last 90 days. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on HIG shares. Barclays raised their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. StockNews.com downgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Raymond James raised 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $129.71.

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.