The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Shares Sold by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP cut its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,287,632 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 68,350 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 1.82% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $578,468,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3,342.9% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 241 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the period. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% during the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. DT Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% in the fourth quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 331 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Key Financial Inc raised its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 526.3% in the 4th quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 357 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on HIG. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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 dropped their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $140.00 to $133.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $124.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group 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 value of $1,539,773.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,712,661.60. This trade represents a 29.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 1,144 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total value of $143,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at $26,385,250. This trade represents a 0.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 112,343 shares of company stock valued at $13,488,337. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HIG traded up $0.31 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $119.05. The stock had a trading volume of 1,595,556 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,576,719. The company has a market capitalization of $34.29 billion, a PE ratio of 11.50, 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $117.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $115.33. 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 Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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, equities analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group's payout ratio is 20.10%.

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.