Lane & Associates LLC Sells 457 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Lane & Associates LLC lowered its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 10.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,785 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 457 shares during the period. Lane & Associates LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $422,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 111,134 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $13,063,000 after purchasing an additional 7,350 shares in the last quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 137,506 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $16,172,000 after purchasing an additional 4,449 shares in the last quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $633,000. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $19,005,000. Finally, Citigroup Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 314,849 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $37,029,000 after purchasing an additional 10,566 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on HIG shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on 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. StockNews.com upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on 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. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Down 0.5 %

HIG stock opened at $112.39 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.58 billion, a PE ratio of 10.86, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.97. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $93.41 and a 1-year high of $124.90. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $110.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $114.05.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.26. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 19.55% and a net margin of 11.72%. As a group, research 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 company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.10%.

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.