4,652 Shares in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Purchased by Scotia Capital Inc.

Scotia Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 4,652 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $509,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,251,389 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $792,796,000 after acquiring an additional 81,495 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,701,675 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $514,363,000 after purchasing an additional 202,487 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,938,421 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $430,272,000 after purchasing an additional 581,103 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter worth $416,340,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,448,982 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $377,319,000 after buying an additional 25,053 shares in the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock traded up $0.69 on Friday, reaching $117.84. The stock had a trading volume of 1,403,365 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,579,084. 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 business's 50-day moving average price is $117.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $115.33. The stock has a market cap of $33.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.68. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $94.47 and a fifty-two week high of $125.08.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.26. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 19.55%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total value of $11,805,563.79. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,412,161.98. This trade represents a 31.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total value of $1,539,773.60. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 112,343 shares of company stock valued at $13,488,337 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on HIG. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced 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 note on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. 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 for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, 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. Eight research 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. According to MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $124.13.

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.