The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Shares Sold by USS Investment Management Ltd

USS Investment Management Ltd reduced its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 8.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 58,717 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 5,768 shares during the period. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $6,425,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HIG. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% during the 4th quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 331 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 1,144 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,712,661.60. The trade was a 29.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 113,429 shares of company stock worth $13,618,028 in the last ninety days. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Down 1.2%

HIG traded down $1.58 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $129.40. The stock had a trading volume of 635,849 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,568,448. The company has a market capitalization of $36.76 billion, a PE ratio of 12.50, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $98.16 and a twelve month high of $132.09. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $122.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $117.09.

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, topping 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 the consensus estimate of $6.97 billion. During the same period in the previous 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, research analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The company 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 $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.61%. The Hartford Financial Services Group's payout ratio is 20.74%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on HIG shares. Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Financial Services Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $129.71.

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.