Empirical Finance LLC Sells 160 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Empirical Finance LLC lowered its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,627 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 160 shares during the quarter. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $1,163,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of HIG. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 62.1% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 28,622 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,131,000 after purchasing an additional 10,964 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,468 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $489,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 47.2% in the fourth quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 31,381 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,433,000 after acquiring an additional 10,063 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 29.0% in the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 298,884 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $32,698,000 after acquiring an additional 67,224 shares during the period. Finally, Barrett & Company Inc. increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Down 1.4 %

HIG stock opened at $111.97 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $89.79 and a 1-year high of $124.90. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $111.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $113.92. The company has a market capitalization of $32.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.82, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.97.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. Research analysts anticipate 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 other news, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 6,865 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 25,820 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,021,972.80. This represents a 21.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.60% 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.