Pacer Advisors Inc. Sells 10,706 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Pacer Advisors Inc. cut its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 18.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 47,587 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 10,706 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $5,206,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 27.9% in the 3rd quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 403 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.0% in the third 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. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,499 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,258,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC grew its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC now owns 2,488 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $293,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, Meeder Advisory Services Inc. raised its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 5,621 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $661,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on HIG. UBS Group raised their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $121.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $134.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.28.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

HIG opened at $114.19 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $113.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.35. The company has a market capitalization of $33.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $85.34 and a 1 year high of $124.90.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.26. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 11.62% and a return on equity of 20.35%. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 10.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

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

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.