Blue Trust Inc. Increases Holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 44.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,434 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,284 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $874,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 437.9% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 871,318 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $95,322,000 after buying an additional 709,324 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 31,680.4% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 694,084 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $816,310,000 after acquiring an additional 691,900 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,938,421 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $430,272,000 after acquiring an additional 581,103 shares during the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 42.1% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 935,298 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $110,000,000 after acquiring an additional 277,295 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC increased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 7,564.9% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 248,648 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $29,243,000 after purchasing an additional 245,404 shares during the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $135.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Bank of America boosted their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $121.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective 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. 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 stock from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.28.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE:HIG opened at $113.52 on Thursday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $85.34 and a 52-week high of $124.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $113.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.35. The company has a market capitalization of $32.91 billion, a PE ratio of 11.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.98.

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.