General Partner Inc. Purchases New Shares in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

General Partner Inc. bought a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 570 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $59,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. MV Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,416 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Realta Investment Advisors grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 3,635 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $292,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,204 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $258,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 3,505 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. Finally, CI Investments Inc. grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.9% in the third quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 5,473 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $388,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock traded up $1.16 on Tuesday, reaching $102.40. The company had a trading volume of 260,944 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,693,871. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $99.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $93.11. The firm has a market cap of $30.29 billion, a PE ratio of 11.50, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.93. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $68.82 and a 52-week high of $103.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.31.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The insurance provider reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $6.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.51 billion. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 10.87% and a return on equity of 20.64%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.68 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 9.94 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 Tuesday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 3rd will be paid a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.36%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Jonathan R. Bennett sold 18,335 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.78, for a total value of $1,847,801.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 25,643 shares in the company, valued at $2,584,301.54. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CFO Beth Ann Costello sold 72,076 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.71, for a total value of $7,186,697.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 69,169 shares in the company, valued at $6,896,840.99. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Jonathan R. Bennett sold 18,335 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.78, for a total transaction of $1,847,801.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 25,643 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,584,301.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on HIG. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $113.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $110.00 to $109.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Argus boosted their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $104.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $96.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $106.24.

The Hartford Financial Services Group 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.