The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) Given New $140.00 Price Target at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) had its target price hoisted by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $139.00 to $140.00 in a report released on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Barclays upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $113.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the company 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 1.4 %

NYSE:HIG opened at $113.54 on Wednesday. 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 has a twelve month low of $89.04 and a twelve month high of $124.90. The company has a market cap of $32.92 billion, a PE ratio of 10.97, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.97. The company’s 50 day moving average is $112.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.68.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) 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 net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 19.55%. Analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group will post 11.46 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 6,865 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.04, for a total transaction of $803,479.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,021,972.80. This trade represents a 21.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HIG. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.3% during 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 in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,234,480 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $135,052,000 after purchasing an additional 34,938 shares in the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 265.5% in the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 1,213,074 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $132,710,000 after purchasing an additional 881,224 shares during the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec boosted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 42.1% during the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 935,298 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $110,000,000 after purchasing an additional 277,295 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake 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 worth $95,322,000 after purchasing an additional 709,324 shares during the last quarter. 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.