Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Makes New Investment in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. acquired a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 2,557 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $206,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HIG. GoalVest Advisory LLC grew its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 464.8% during the 4th quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 305 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Selway Asset Management bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on HIG shares. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $109.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $77.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $96.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $94.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $105.47.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 0.4 %

The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $97.73 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $29.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.23, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $97.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $84.90. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $67.05 and a 52 week high of $103.64.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The insurance provider reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.62. The firm had revenue of $6.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.84 billion. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 10.21% and a return on equity of 19.82%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.31 EPS. On average, analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 10.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 46,818 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.71, for a total value of $3,965,952.78. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 170,180 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,415,947.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 46,818 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.71, for a total value of $3,965,952.78. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 170,180 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,415,947.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 8,206 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $2,468,392. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 249,082 shares of company stock valued at $22,404,321 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

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.