Christopher Swift Sells 1,144 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Stock

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) CEO Christopher Swift sold 1,144 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total transaction of $143,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at $26,385,250. This trade represents a 0.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Christopher Swift also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, March 17th, Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total transaction of $11,805,563.79.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 5.8 %

Shares of NYSE:HIG traded up $6.44 on Wednesday, reaching $116.54. The company had a trading volume of 1,930,016 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,588,531. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.68. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $116.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $115.34. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $94.47 and a twelve month high of $125.08.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.26. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 19.55% and a net margin of 11.72%. On average, equities analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.10%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Hartford Financial Services Group

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 7.1% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 111,134 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $13,063,000 after acquiring an additional 7,350 shares in the last quarter. Horizon Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $277,000. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $19,005,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 437.9% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 871,318 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $95,322,000 after buying an additional 709,324 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,701,675 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $514,363,000 after buying an additional 202,487 shares in the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HIG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut 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. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Barclays upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $123.29.

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.