Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Purchases 166,453 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 94.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 343,306 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 166,453 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned about 0.11% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $27,595,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GoalVest Advisory LLC increased its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 464.8% in the fourth quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 305 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 251 shares during the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Selway Asset Management acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,332 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.74, for a total transaction of $119,533.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 630 shares in the company, valued at $56,536.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,332 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.74, for a total transaction of $119,533.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 630 shares in the company, valued at $56,536.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 46,818 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.71, for a total value of $3,965,952.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 170,180 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,415,947.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 249,082 shares of company stock worth $22,404,321 over the last three months. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HIG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $106.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. UBS Group upped their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $94.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $77.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $91.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $105.47.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HIG traded down $1.95 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $95.78. The stock had a trading volume of 2,617,455 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,810,172. The business's fifty day moving average is $97.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $84.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $28.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.99, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.89. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $67.05 and a twelve month high of $103.64.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The insurance provider reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.44 by $0.62. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 19.82% and a net margin of 10.21%. The business had revenue of $6.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.31 earnings per share. The Hartford Financial Services Group's revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 10.12 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th were paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.96%. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.53%.

The Hartford Financial Services Group 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.