Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. Invests $207,000 in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 2,575 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $207,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HIG. MV Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,416 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $114,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Realta Investment Advisors boosted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 3,635 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $292,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,204 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $258,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.5% in the third quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 10,490 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $744,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CI Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.9% in the third quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 5,473 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $388,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, CFO Beth Ann Costello sold 38,915 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 69,169 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,600,105.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 14,528 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.97, for a total value of $1,365,196.16. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 46,792 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,397,044.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Beth Ann Costello sold 38,915 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.42, for a total transaction of $3,713,269.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 69,169 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,600,105.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 90,169 shares of company stock valued at $8,676,992. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE:HIG traded up $0.21 on Tuesday, reaching $99.34. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,051,027 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,788,730. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $67.42 and a 1-year high of $103.64. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $98.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $87.74. The firm has a market cap of $29.38 billion, a PE ratio of 11.29, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.31.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The insurance provider reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.43 by ($0.09). The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 10.87% and a return on equity of 20.64%. The business had revenue of $6.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.68 earnings per share. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 10.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is 21.36%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on HIG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $91.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group to $144.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $110.00 to $109.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $77.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $105.44.

About The Hartford Financial Services Group

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.