The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the eighteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $122.94.

HIG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on 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. Piper Sandler raised their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised The Hartford Financial Services Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed 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.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Down 0.9 %

HIG traded down $1.00 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $111.37. 2,403,711 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,627,411. 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 Hartford Financial Services Group has a one year low of $93.78 and a one year high of $124.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.76, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.97. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $110.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $114.16.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share (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, analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.10%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 155,542 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $17,016,000 after acquiring an additional 8,567 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc. boosted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 101.9% in the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 9,601 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,050,000 after purchasing an additional 4,845 shares during the period. City National Bank of Florida MSD bought a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at $304,000. JT Stratford LLC bought a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at $1,523,000. Finally, EDENTREE ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd boosted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 16.6% in the 4th quarter. EDENTREE ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd now owns 71,700 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $7,845,000 after purchasing an additional 10,190 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% 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.