Two Sigma Advisers LP Buys 25,900 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 205.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 38,500 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 25,900 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP's holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $4,212,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Horizon Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $277,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,701,675 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $514,363,000 after buying an additional 202,487 shares during the last quarter. Suncoast Equity Management purchased a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $311,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 62.1% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 28,622 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $3,131,000 after buying an additional 10,964 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 13.9% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 46,868 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $5,127,000 after buying an additional 5,702 shares during the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on HIG shares. UBS Group increased their price objective 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $133.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price objective on shares of 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 assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $129.71.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,086 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 28th. The shares were 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 approximately $74,279.24. The trade was a 63.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,082 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,385,250. This represents a 0.54% 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 worth $13,618,028 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

The Hartford Financial Services Group stock traded down $1.78 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $129.20. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,869,051 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,573,273. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $122.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $117.09. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $98.16 and a 12-month high of $132.09. The company has a market capitalization of $36.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.48, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.97 billion. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 19.55% and a net margin of 11.72%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.34 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. The Hartford Financial Services Group's payout ratio is presently 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.