Czech National Bank Increases Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Czech National Bank boosted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 5.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 66,057 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,202 shares during the period. Czech National Bank's holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $8,173,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HIG. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% during the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% in the fourth quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 331 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.42% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised 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 boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Barclays upped their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Raymond James raised their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $129.71.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

NYSE:HIG traded down $1.95 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $128.04. 1,422,540 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,581,755. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70. 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 50 day simple moving average of $123.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $117.52. 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 Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $6.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.34 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. The Hartford Financial Services Group's payout ratio is currently 20.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In related news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 1,144 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total value of $143,000.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,086 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the senior vice president now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 113,429 shares of company stock worth $13,618,028. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.