Royal Bank of Canada Reiterates Sector Perform Rating for The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG)

Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed their sector perform rating on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) in a research note published on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $125.00 price target on the insurance provider’s stock.

HIG has been the subject of several other reports. StockNews.com raised shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets upped 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 research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $121.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Barclays raised The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.89.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of HIG opened at $112.39 on Monday. The Hartford Financial Services Group has a 12 month low of $88.81 and a 12 month high of $124.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $32.58 billion, a PE ratio of 10.86, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.97. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $112.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.55.

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 the consensus estimate 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%. Equities analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group will post 11.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 6,865 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.04, for a total transaction of $803,479.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 25,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,021,972.80. This represents a 21.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HIG. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 27.9% during the 3rd quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 403 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,079 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $337,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,444 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $287,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,468 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $489,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.