Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC Invests $27.88 Million in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC bought a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 278,756 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $27,876,000. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC owned about 0.10% of The Hartford Financial Services Group at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HIG. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3,342.9% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 241 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on HIG shares. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $126.87.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 2.4%

Shares of NYSE HIG traded up $2.99 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $129.13. The company had a trading volume of 1,805,465 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,580,068. The stock has a market cap of $36.69 billion, a PE ratio of 12.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70. 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 firm's fifty day moving average price is $120.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $116.01. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a one year low of $98.16 and a one year high of $130.50.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.34 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 20.74%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the business'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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,712,661.60. The trade was a 29.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,086 shares of the 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 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 113,429 shares of company stock worth $13,618,028 over the last three months. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About The Hartford Financial Services Group

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.