Stifel Financial Corp Sells 8,528 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Stifel Financial Corp cut its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 249,275 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 8,528 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp owned approximately 0.09% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $27,270,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HIG. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 234 shares during the period. Barrett & Company Inc. lifted its holdings 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. DT Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% in the 4th quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 331 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Key Financial Inc grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 526.3% during the fourth quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 357 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on HIG shares. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $126.87.

Insider Activity at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In related news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total transaction of $1,539,773.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,712,661.60. This represents a 29.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 1,144 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total transaction of $143,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 112,343 shares of company stock valued at $13,488,337 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 1.5 %

NYSE HIG traded up $1.79 during trading on Monday, hitting $120.55. The company had a trading volume of 1,581,045 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,569,763. The company's fifty day moving average is $117.66 and its 200-day moving average is $115.39. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a one year low of $95.00 and a one 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 company has a market cap of $34.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.68.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $2.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $6.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.97 billion. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 19.55% and a net margin of 11.72%. The business's revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.34 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.73%. The Hartford Financial Services Group's payout ratio is 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.