The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Holdings Boosted by Flputnam Investment Management Co.

Flputnam Investment Management Co. grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 29.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 38,288 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,776 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $3,078,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. GoalVest Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 464.8% during the 4th quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 305 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Selway Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 94,807 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.65, for a total transaction of $8,215,026.55. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 170,180 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,746,097. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 94,807 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.65, for a total transaction of $8,215,026.55. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 170,180 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,746,097. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,332 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.74, for a total transaction of $119,533.68. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 630 shares in the company, valued at $56,536.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 249,082 shares of company stock valued at $22,404,321. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

NYSE HIG opened at $97.73 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $29.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.23, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a 50 day moving average of $97.37 and a 200-day moving average of $84.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $67.05 and a 1-year high of $103.64.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 2nd. The insurance provider reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.62. The company had revenue of $6.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.84 billion. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 10.21% and a return on equity of 19.82%. The company’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.31 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 10.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is 23.53%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $107.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $77.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $109.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group to $144.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $106.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $105.47.

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.