AdvisorNet Financial Inc Purchases 2,479 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 259.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,433 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,479 shares during the period. AdvisorNet Financial Inc's holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $425,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of HIG. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 81,495 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,701,675 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $514,363,000 after purchasing an additional 202,487 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,830,462 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $419,053,000 after acquiring an additional 234,320 shares during the period. 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 raised its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,537,665 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $387,021,000 after acquiring an additional 519,717 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company's stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of HIG stock traded up $0.00 on Thursday, hitting $127.94. The stock had a trading volume of 1,052,380 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,581,562. The business has a 50 day moving average of $123.30 and a 200 day moving average of $117.66. The stock has a market cap of $36.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.71. 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 12-month low of $98.16 and a 12-month high of $132.09.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.34 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at $25,412,161.98. This trade represents a 31.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,086 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.42, for a total transaction of $129,690.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 622 shares of the company's stock, valued at $74,279.24. The trade was a 63.58% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 113,429 shares of company stock worth $13,618,028. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on HIG. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. UBS Group upped 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 report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Raymond James upped their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.