The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Stake Decreased by MONECO Advisors LLC

MONECO Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 10.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,600 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 305 shares during the quarter. MONECO Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $284,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3,342.9% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 241 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas acquired a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% during the fourth quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 331 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective 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 upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets raised 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 note on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 2.4 %

NYSE HIG opened at $116.53 on Wednesday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $94.32 and a twelve month high of $124.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $33.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.26, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.97. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $111.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $114.32.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.10%.

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.