Man Group plc Raises Stock Holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Man Group plc increased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 39.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 991,678 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 281,498 shares during the quarter. Man Group plc owned approximately 0.34% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $108,490,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3,342.9% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 241 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% during 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 during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% in the 4th quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 331 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company's stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

NYSE HIG traded up $1.84 on Friday, hitting $131.09. 1,569,454 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,578,647. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $98.16 and a 52 week high of $131.25. The company has a market capitalization of $37.24 billion, a PE ratio of 12.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.70. The business's fifty day moving average is $120.66 and its 200 day moving average is $116.25. 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 Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.34 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group's payout ratio is currently 20.74%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HIG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Barclays boosted their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. StockNews.com lowered shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $128.07.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,412,161.98. The trade was a 31.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the business'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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 113,429 shares of company stock worth $13,618,028. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

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.