Rhumbline Advisers Sells 14,307 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Rhumbline Advisers reduced its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 563,756 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 14,307 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers owned approximately 0.19% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $61,675,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HIG. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 265.5% during the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 1,213,074 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $132,710,000 after acquiring an additional 881,224 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 437.9% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 871,318 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $95,322,000 after purchasing an additional 709,324 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 31,680.4% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 694,084 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $816,310,000 after buying an additional 691,900 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.3% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,938,421 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $430,272,000 after buying an additional 581,103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 42.1% during the third quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 935,298 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $110,000,000 after buying an additional 277,295 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.42% of the company's stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:HIG traded down $0.55 during trading on Thursday, reaching $112.39. 1,135,883 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,648,306. The stock has a market cap of $32.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.32. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $110.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $114.06. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $93.41 and a 52-week high of $124.90.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.26. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 19.55% and a net margin of 11.72%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on HIG. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. 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 report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $122.94.

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.