Angeles Investment Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Angeles Investment Advisors LLC reduced its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,397 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 209 shares during the quarter. Angeles Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $372,000 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 HIG. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE purchased a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter worth about $263,000. Stevens Capital Management LP raised its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 147.1% in the fourth quarter. Stevens Capital Management LP now owns 4,621 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $506,000 after buying an additional 2,751 shares during the period. Fox Run Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $221,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,162,000. Finally, Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC grew its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 66,127 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $7,234,000 after buying an additional 509 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total transaction of $1,539,773.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,712,661.60. This represents a 29.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total transaction of $11,805,563.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at $25,412,161.98. This represents a 31.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on HIG shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of 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. Barclays raised The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com downgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE:HIG opened at $119.20 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.32. The company has a market capitalization of $34.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a one year low of $94.47 and a one year high of $124.90. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $114.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $115.03.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is 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.