The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Shares Purchased by DnB Asset Management AS

DnB Asset Management AS grew its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 23.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 289,787 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 54,915 shares during the quarter. DnB Asset Management AS owned approximately 0.10% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $31,703,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% in the fourth 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. BNP Paribas acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the third quarter worth about $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC boosted 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HIG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, February 3rd. 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 lowered their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $123.78.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of HIG stock traded up $1.51 on Monday, hitting $123.73. The stock had a trading volume of 2,137,172 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,578,410. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. 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's 50 day moving average price is $115.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $115.27. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $94.47 and a 1 year high of $124.90.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. Analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.10%.

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the company's 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at $25,412,161.98. This represents a 31.72 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total value of $1,539,773.60. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

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.