Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Sells 53,238 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 62.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 31,850 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 53,238 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC's holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $3,484,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of HIG. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% during the 4th 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. Finally, Key Financial Inc boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 526.3% during the 4th quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 357 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company's stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock traded up $2.01 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $119.77. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,067,706 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,754,058. The company has a market capitalization of $34.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.57, a P/E/G 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 Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a one year low of $94.32 and a one year high of $124.90. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $111.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $114.51.

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 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The Hartford Financial Services Group's payout ratio is 20.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on HIG shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted 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 report on Wednesday, November 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Financial Services Group has an average 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.