The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $126.87.

HIG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays lifted their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target 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 reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of 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.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 1,144 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total transaction of $143,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,385,250. This represents a 0.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,086 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 622 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $74,279.24. This represents a 63.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 113,429 shares of company stock worth $13,618,028. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Hartford Financial Services Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at $416,340,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 14,049.5% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,424,009 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,761,930,000 after purchasing an additional 1,413,945 shares in the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 265.5% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 48.1% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,264,397 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $247,761,000 after buying an additional 735,170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $125.83 on Tuesday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $118.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $115.54. 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 stock has a market cap of $35.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70. The Hartford Financial Services Group has a 12-month low of $98.16 and a 12-month high of $126.52.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 19.55%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.34 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current 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 dividend of $0.52 per share. 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 1.65%. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.74%.

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.

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