Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 2,074 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. reduced its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 13.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 13,612 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 2,074 shares during the period. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $1,489,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3,342.9% during the fourth 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. raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the third quarter worth $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC raised its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% during the fourth quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 331 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company's stock.

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The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

Shares of HIG stock traded up $1.51 on Monday, hitting $123.73. 2,137,172 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,578,410. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $94.47 and a 12 month high of $124.90. 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 $115.52 and a 200 day moving average of $115.27. The stock has a market cap of $35.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 research analysts predict 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.68%. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 20.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on HIG. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays raised The Hartford Financial Services Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com lowered The Hartford Financial Services Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $123.78.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total value of $11,805,563.79. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at $25,412,161.98. This represents a 31.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group 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 in the company, valued at $3,712,661.60. The trade was a 29.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.