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

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 analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $129.71.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered 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 report on Friday, April 11th. 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. 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 report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Down 0.2%

HIG traded down $0.24 on Friday, hitting $130.01. The company had a trading volume of 4,803,044 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,582,768. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $122.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $117.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70. The Hartford Financial Services Group has a 52-week low of $98.16 and a 52-week high of $132.09.

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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $6.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 firm's revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.34 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. The Hartford Financial Services Group's payout ratio is 20.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total transaction of $1,539,773.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,712,661.60. The trade was a 29.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 1,144 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total value of $143,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,082 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,385,250. This represents a 0.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 113,429 shares of company stock valued at $13,618,028. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Hartford Financial Services Group

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% in the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC raised its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 146.2% during the 1st quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC now owns 261 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Center for Financial Planning Inc. bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About The Hartford Financial Services Group

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.