Farther Finance Advisors LLC Has $344,000 Stock Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Farther Finance Advisors LLC trimmed its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 33.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,149 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 1,597 shares during the quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $344,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,701,675 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $514,363,000 after buying an additional 202,487 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.3% in the fourth 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 during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,913,914 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $209,382,000 after buying an additional 39,585 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 1,457,147 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $159,412,000 after buying an additional 114,716 shares during the period. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.9% in 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 buying an additional 34,938 shares during the period. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HIG has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target 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. Ten equities research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE:HIG opened at $120.48 on Tuesday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $94.47 and a 12 month high of $124.90. The firm has a market cap of $34.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company’s 50 day moving average is $113.49 and its 200-day moving average is $114.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 EPS 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 is 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%.

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,678 shares in the company, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.