Independent Advisor Alliance Grows Holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Independent Advisor Alliance increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 87.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,968 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,126 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $1,200,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HIG. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 6,356 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $695,000 after buying an additional 257 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 24.6% during the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 45,793 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $5,010,000 after acquiring an additional 9,040 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 71.4% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 351,026 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $38,402,000 after acquiring an additional 146,255 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 3,429 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $375,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lifeworks Advisors LLC increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 20.4% during the fourth quarter. Lifeworks Advisors LLC now owns 2,910 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $318,000 after purchasing an additional 493 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $119.06 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $113.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $114.90. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $94.47 and a 12-month high of $124.90. 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 stock has a market cap of $33.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.50, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total value of $1,539,773.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,712,661.60. The trade was a 29.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Barclays upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.94.

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.