Cerity Partners LLC Has $7.83 Million Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 4.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 70,747 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 3,302 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $7,829,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MML Investors Services LLC boosted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 13.1% in the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 32,239 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $3,792,000 after buying an additional 3,731 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.0% during the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 41,166 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $4,842,000 after purchasing an additional 1,600 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 18.8% during the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,268 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $855,000 after buying an additional 1,148 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 146,975 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $17,286,000 after purchasing an additional 824 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the third quarter worth about $661,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 1,144 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total value of $143,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,082 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,385,250. This trade represents a 0.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total transaction of $1,539,773.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 112,343 shares of company stock worth $13,488,337. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HIG traded up $1.03 during trading on Thursday, reaching $118.18. 438,211 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,579,220. 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 company has a 50 day moving average of $116.83 and a 200-day moving average of $115.35. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $94.47 and a 12 month high of $125.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.68.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.26. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 19.55%. On average, equities analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group's payout ratio is currently 20.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on HIG shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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 note on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped 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 report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered The Hartford Financial Services Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $124.13.

The Hartford Financial Services Group 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.