The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) PT Raised to $120.00 at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) had its target price raised by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $114.00 to $120.00 in a report released on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James restated an outperform rating and issued a $120.00 target price (up previously from $100.00) on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Monday, April 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $91.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $77.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Roth Mkm upped their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $107.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $98.25.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HIG opened at $99.31 on Wednesday. The Hartford Financial Services Group has a twelve month low of $67.01 and a twelve month high of $103.64. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $96.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $84.09. The company has a market capitalization of $29.52 billion, a PE ratio of 12.43, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The insurance provider reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by $0.62. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 19.82% and a net margin of 10.21%. The firm had revenue of $6.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.31 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group will post 10.05 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.89%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.53%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael R. Fisher sold 27,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.90, for a total value of $2,670,695.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 18,906 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,869,803.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Michael R. Fisher sold 27,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.90, for a total value of $2,670,695.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 18,906 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,869,803.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 8,206 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.60, for a total transaction of $784,493.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,820 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,468,392. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 256,005 shares of company stock worth $22,979,552 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GoalVest Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 464.8% in the fourth quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 305 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the period. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. CVA Family Office LLC bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Selway Asset Management bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Company Profile

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.