3,157 Shares in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Acquired by Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc.

Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 3,157 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $254,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. GoalVest Advisory LLC lifted its stake 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 valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares during the period. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Selway Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $92.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price 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 note on Monday, February 5th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $107.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group to $144.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $105.56.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 956 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.00, for a total transaction of $82,216.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 170,180 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,635,480. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 956 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.00, for a total value of $82,216.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 170,180 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,635,480. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 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 transaction, 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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 202,264 shares of company stock valued at $18,438,369. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock traded up $2.00 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $98.95. 1,484,941 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,638,250. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $67.05 and a 1 year high of $103.64. The company has a market capitalization of $29.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.89. The business has a fifty day moving average of $97.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $85.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The insurance provider reported $3.06 earnings per share 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 company’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.31 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 10.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.90%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is 23.53%.

The Hartford Financial Services Group 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.