The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $105.56.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Roth Mkm lifted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $106.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective (up previously from $100.00) on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $94.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $92.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,332 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,536.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,332 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,536.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Beth Ann Costello sold 38,915 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.42, for a total transaction of $3,713,269.30. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 69,169 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,600,105.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 106,501 shares of company stock valued at $10,141,126. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Equitable Trust Co. purchased a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Fielder Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $214,000. Summit Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $291,000. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 13.4% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 19,059 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,964,000 after purchasing an additional 2,259 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.8% during the first quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 8,209 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $846,000 after purchasing an additional 1,238 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HIG opened at $99.09 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $29.46 billion, a PE ratio of 12.40, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.89. The company’s fifty day moving average is $98.45 and its 200 day moving average is $86.07. The Hartford Financial Services Group has a 52 week low of $67.05 and a 52 week high of $103.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The insurance provider reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.38 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $6.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.51 billion. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 19.82% and a net margin of 10.21%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.68 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group will post 10.13 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is 23.53%.

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.