BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. Decreases Holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 31.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,085 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 2,734 shares during the period. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc.’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $492,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 7.2% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 17,704 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,271,000 after buying an additional 1,185 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 9.1% in the first quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 3,952 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $284,000 after buying an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. Prudential PLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the first quarter valued at about $674,000. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 88.6% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 11,238 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $807,000 after buying an additional 5,278 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation N.A. raised its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 235.4% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 1,070 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $77,000 after buying an additional 751 shares during the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE HIG traded up $0.63 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $98.41. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 176,745 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,780,698. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $97.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $84.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, 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 $67.05 and a 1 year high of $103.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.89.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The insurance provider reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $6.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.31 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 10.12 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.91%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on HIG. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $77.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $106.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group to $144.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $92.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $101.94.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 4,633 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.06, for a total value of $384,816.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 170,180 shares in the company, valued at $14,135,150.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Michael R. Fisher sold 27,004 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group 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 directly owns 18,906 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,869,803.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 4,633 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.06, for a total transaction of $384,816.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 170,180 shares in the company, valued at $14,135,150.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 253,715 shares of company stock worth $22,789,138 over the last 90 days. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.