The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Shares Bought by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 6.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,830,462 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 234,320 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned about 1.32% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $419,053,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% in the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.42% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HIG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group increased 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. Barclays increased their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Seven research 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 data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus 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 firm'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 value of $129,690.12. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 622 shares of the company's stock, valued at $74,279.24. This trade represents 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 available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total transaction of $1,539,773.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,712,661.60. This trade represents a 29.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 113,429 shares of company stock valued at $13,618,028. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE HIG traded down $0.19 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $128.86. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,472,551 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,570,129. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $121.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $116.90. 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 1 year low of $98.16 and a 1 year high of $132.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.45, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 data 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 Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 19.55%. The business had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.34 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. The Hartford Financial Services Group's payout ratio is 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.