Farringdon Capital Ltd. Takes Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Farringdon Capital Ltd. bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 9,421 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,031,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of HIG. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $10,501,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 49,283 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $5,392,000 after purchasing an additional 3,380 shares during the last quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 79.0% in the 4th quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 266,050 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $29,106,000 after purchasing an additional 117,450 shares in the last quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 12,134 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,327,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP increased its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 28.9% in the fourth quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 346,555 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $37,913,000 after buying an additional 77,608 shares during the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In related news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the business'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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,712,661.60. The trade was a 29.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 1,144 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total transaction of $143,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 112,343 shares of company stock valued at $13,488,337 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HIG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $133.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Eight 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 presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $124.13.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 3.6 %

Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock traded up $4.13 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $118.35. The stock had a trading volume of 230,496 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,722,524. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.68. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $94.47 and a 1 year high of $125.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $117.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $115.30.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities research 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 business also recently disclosed 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 dividend yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 20.10%.

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.