The Hartford Insurance Group (NYSE:HIG) Price Target Lowered to $155.00 at UBS Group

Key Points

• UBS lowered its price target on The Hartford from $157 to $155 while maintaining a "buy" rating, implying about a 13.3% upside from the prior close.
• The Hartford reported Q1 EPS of $3.09, missing the $3.39 consensus, while revenue rose 6.1% year-over-year to $14.45 billion.
• Company insiders have sold heavily recently—349,282 shares worth roughly $48.18 million in the last 90 days, including CEO Christopher Swift's sale of 100,970 shares—leaving insiders with about 1.5% ownership.

The Hartford Insurance Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) had its price objective lowered by stock analysts at UBS Group from $157.00 to $155.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the insurance provider's stock. UBS Group's price objective indicates a potential upside of 13.33% from the company's previous close.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $136.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $143.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a "market perform" rating and set a $149.00 target price (down from $163.00) on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Insurance Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $149.38.

The Hartford Insurance Group Stock Performance

NYSE:HIG traded up $2.32 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $136.77. 1,069,102 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,532,781. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.61, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.53. The Hartford Insurance Group has a 52-week low of $118.81 and a 52-week high of $144.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The company's 50 day moving average price is $137.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $134.76.

The Hartford Insurance Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The insurance provider reported $3.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.39 by ($0.30). The company had revenue of $14.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.41 billion. The Hartford Insurance Group had a return on equity of 22.52% and a net margin of 14.10%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.20 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Hartford Insurance Group will post 13.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 100,970 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.78, for a total value of $14,214,556.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 194,817 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,426,337.26. This represents a 34.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Lori A. Rodden sold 40,693 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.05, for a total transaction of $5,617,668.65. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 25,392 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,505,365.60. This represents a 61.58% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 349,282 shares of company stock valued at $48,184,324 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. First Pacific Financial acquired a new position in The Hartford Insurance Group in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group by 707.7% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 210 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company's stock.

The Hartford Insurance Group Company Profile

The Hartford Financial Services Group, commonly known as The Hartford, is a U.S.-based insurance and investment company that provides a broad range of commercial and personal insurance products and employee benefits. Its core businesses include property and casualty insurance for businesses and individuals, group benefits such as group life, disability and dental plans, and retirement and investment solutions offered through affiliated asset-management operations. The company also delivers risk management, claims-handling and loss-prevention services designed to support policyholders across a variety of industries.

Founded in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1810, The Hartford is one of the oldest insurance organizations in the United States and has a long history of underwriting and product development across multiple insurance lines.

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