Pacer Advisors Inc. Sells 10,706 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Pacer Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 18.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 47,587 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 10,706 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $5,206,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 7.1% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 111,134 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $13,063,000 after acquiring an additional 7,350 shares during the last quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd lifted its holdings in 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 worth $16,172,000 after purchasing an additional 4,449 shares during the last quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. bought a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $633,000. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $19,005,000. Finally, Citigroup Inc. increased its position in 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 worth $37,029,000 after buying an additional 10,566 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HIG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $134.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Bank of America boosted their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $121.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. UBS Group raised their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $135.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.28.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $114.19 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $113.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $85.34 and a fifty-two week high of $124.90.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.26. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 20.35% and a net margin of 11.62%. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 10.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 6,865 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.04, for a total transaction of $803,479.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,021,972.80. The trade was a 21.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.