The Hartford Insurance Group (NYSE:HIG) Given New $155.00 Price Target at UBS Group

The Hartford Insurance Group (NYSE:HIG) had its price objective cut by UBS Group from $157.00 to $155.00 in a report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on HIG. Bank of America lifted their target price on The Hartford Insurance Group from $136.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their target price on The Hartford Insurance Group from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on The Hartford Insurance Group from $143.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Barclays cut their price target on The Hartford Insurance Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Finally, Roth Mkm boosted their price objective on The Hartford Insurance Group from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $149.38.

The Hartford Insurance Group Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of The Hartford Insurance Group stock opened at $136.77 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $137.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $134.81. The stock has a market cap of $37.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.61, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.53. The Hartford Insurance Group has a 12-month low of $118.81 and a 12-month high of $144.50.

The Hartford Insurance Group (NYSE:HIG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The insurance provider reported $3.09 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.39 by ($0.30). The Hartford Insurance Group had a return on equity of 22.52% and a net margin of 14.10%.The company had revenue of $14.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.20 earnings per share. The Hartford Insurance Group’s revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Hartford Insurance Group will post 13.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The Hartford Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is 16.87%.

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Insurance Group

In other The Hartford Insurance Group news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 201,938 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.41, for a total transaction of $27,546,362.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 194,817 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,574,986.97. This trade represents a 50.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Lori A. Rodden sold 40,693 shares of The Hartford Insurance Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.05, for a total value of $5,617,668.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 25,392 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,365.60. This trade represents a 61.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 349,282 shares of company stock worth $48,184,324. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Hartford Insurance Group

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in The Hartford Insurance Group by 707.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 210 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. First Pacific Financial purchased a new stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new position in The Hartford Insurance Group during the third quarter worth about $29,000. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Hartford Insurance Group Company Profile

The Hartford Financial Services Group, commonly known as The Hartford, is a U.S.-based insurance and investment company that provides a broad range of commercial and personal insurance products and employee benefits. Its core businesses include property and casualty insurance for businesses and individuals, group benefits such as group life, disability and dental plans, and retirement and investment solutions offered through affiliated asset-management operations. The company also delivers risk management, claims-handling and loss-prevention services designed to support policyholders across a variety of industries.

Founded in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1810, The Hartford is one of the oldest insurance organizations in the United States and has a long history of underwriting and product development across multiple insurance lines.