Stephens Inc. AR Grows Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Stephens Inc. AR grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 13.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,949 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,291 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $2,073,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HIG. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 111,134 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $13,063,000 after purchasing an additional 7,350 shares in the last quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd boosted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 137,506 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $16,172,000 after buying an additional 4,449 shares during the last quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $633,000. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI purchased a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $19,005,000. Finally, Citigroup Inc. lifted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.5% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 314,849 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $37,029,000 after acquiring an additional 10,566 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HIG opened at $111.48 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $111.72 and a 200 day moving average of $113.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market cap of $32.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.97. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $89.79 and a 12 month high of $124.90.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.26. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 19.55%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In related news, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 6,865 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.04, for a total value of $803,479.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,820 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,021,972.80. This represents a 21.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays raised shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.94.

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.