Stifel Financial Corp Has $27.27 Million Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Stifel Financial Corp lowered its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 249,275 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 8,528 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp owned 0.09% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $27,270,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in HIG. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at $416,340,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 265.5% during the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 1,213,074 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $132,710,000 after purchasing an additional 881,224 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 437.9% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 871,318 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $95,322,000 after buying an additional 709,324 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 11,904.7% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 631,565 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $632,000 after buying an additional 626,304 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $65,256,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.42% of the company's stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

NYSE:HIG traded down $0.48 on Wednesday, reaching $121.75. The stock had a trading volume of 264,625 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,564,195. 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 company has a market capitalization of $35.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.68. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $96.20 and a 1-year high of $125.08. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $118.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $115.47.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $6.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.34 EPS. The Hartford Financial Services Group's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.71%. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio is 20.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price 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 report on Thursday, April 10th. Raymond James upped their price target on 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on 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, UBS Group increased their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. 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 data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $126.87.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total transaction of $11,805,563.79. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $25,412,161.98. This represents a 31.72 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total value of $1,539,773.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 worth $13,488,337 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.60% 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.