The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) Price Target Raised to $104.00

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) had its target price boosted by Evercore ISI from $96.00 to $104.00 in a research note published on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an in-line rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on HIG. Raymond James restated an outperform rating and set a $120.00 price target (up from $100.00) on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, April 1st. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $107.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Roth Mkm boosted their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $106.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $91.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $101.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE HIG opened at $97.78 on Thursday. The Hartford Financial Services Group has a twelve month low of $67.01 and a twelve month high of $103.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $29.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.24, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.89. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $97.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $84.44.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 2nd. The insurance provider reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.62. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 10.21% and a return on equity of 19.82%. The firm had revenue of $6.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.31 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group will post 10.12 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were paid a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.92%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is currently 23.53%.

Insider Activity at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In related news, EVP Michael R. Fisher sold 27,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, 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 accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Michael R. Fisher sold 27,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, 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 accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,332 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.74, for a total transaction of $119,533.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,536.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 253,715 shares of company stock valued at $22,789,138 over the last quarter. 1.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of The Hartford Financial Services Group

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GoalVest Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 464.8% during 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 in the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Selway Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.