The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Shares Purchased by Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 9.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 7,905 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 662 shares during the quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $865,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HIG. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 265.5% during the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 1,213,074 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $132,710,000 after acquiring an additional 881,224 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 437.9% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 871,318 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $95,322,000 after acquiring an additional 709,324 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 11,904.7% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 631,565 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $632,000 after acquiring an additional 626,304 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $65,256,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,938,421 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $430,272,000 after buying an additional 581,103 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of HIG stock opened at $115.82 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $33.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.19, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $112.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $114.84. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $94.47 and a 1-year high of $124.90.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect 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 company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped 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 report on Wednesday, February 5th. 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 research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped 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 report on Wednesday, November 27th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Financial Services Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.94.

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.