Focus Partners Wealth Has $1.57 Million Stock Holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Focus Partners Wealth lifted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 16.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,369 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,077 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth's holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $1,572,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC lifted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,079 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $337,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its holdings 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 valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,468 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $489,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,499 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,258,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co boosted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 475 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

The Hartford Financial Services Group stock traded down $0.53 on Tuesday, reaching $131.14. 1,019,238 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,567,625. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $98.16 and a twelve month high of $132.09. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $120.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $116.47. The stock has a market cap of $37.26 billion, a PE ratio of 12.67, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.05. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 19.55% and a net margin of 11.72%. The firm had revenue of $6.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.34 EPS. The company's revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. The Hartford Financial Services Group's payout ratio is 20.74%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on HIG shares. StockNews.com upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $133.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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 note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Raymond James upped their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Seven investment 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $129.71.

Insider Activity at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total transaction of $11,805,563.79. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at $25,412,161.98. The trade was a 31.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the 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. This represents 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 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

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.