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

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $122.28.

HIG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $121.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. StockNews.com upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Barclays upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HIG. DT Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3,342.9% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 241 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the period. Clean Yield Group bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% during the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 0.6 %

HIG stock opened at $114.19 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $113.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $113.35. 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 company has a market cap of $33.10 billion, a PE ratio of 11.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.98. The Hartford Financial Services Group has a twelve month low of $85.34 and a twelve month high of $124.90.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.26. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 20.35% and a net margin of 11.62%. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group will post 10.06 earnings per share for the current year.

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.