Brokerages Set The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) PT at $126.87

Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $126.87.

Several brokerages have weighed in on HIG. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Barclays lifted their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, February 3rd.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

NYSE HIG traded down $0.71 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $127.50. The company had a trading volume of 1,350,259 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,573,679. The company has a market capitalization of $36.22 billion, a PE ratio of 12.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average price of $119.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $115.74. The Hartford Financial Services Group has a twelve month low of $98.16 and a twelve month high of $129.55.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.05. The firm 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.34 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The company 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. The Hartford Financial Services Group's payout ratio is presently 20.74%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the company's 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,712,661.60. This represents a 29.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,086 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.42, for a total value of $129,690.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 622 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $74,279.24. The trade was a 63.58% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 113,429 shares of company stock valued at $13,618,028 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Hartford Financial Services Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the third quarter valued at about $661,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the third quarter valued at about $514,000. Tidal Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 73.0% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 17,774 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $2,090,000 after buying an additional 7,500 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.9% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 353,873 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $41,619,000 after buying an additional 6,605 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 62.6% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 470 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% 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.