Vest Financial LLC Purchases 18,429 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Vest Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 231,660 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 18,429 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC owned 0.08% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $27,246,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $215,000. Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $486,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 36.3% in the 1st quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 22,187 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,286,000 after acquiring an additional 5,913 shares during the last quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd increased its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.5% in the first quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 25,528 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,630,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the period. Finally, &PARTNERS bought a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $239,000. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $113.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Citigroup cut The Hartford Financial Services Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $116.00 to $114.00 in a research note on Friday, June 28th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $117.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $130.00 price target for the company. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $120.59.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Down 0.3 %

HIG traded down $0.33 during trading on Friday, hitting $122.00. 1,299,026 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,601,375. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.86, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.93. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $115.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $106.37. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $68.92 and a 12-month high of $123.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The insurance provider reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.26. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 21.20% and a net margin of 11.44%. The company had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.02 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.88 EPS. The Hartford Financial Services Group's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 10.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, July 25th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.30 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the insurance provider to repurchase up to 10.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

About The Hartford Financial Services Group

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.