Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS Has $6.74 Million Holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lessened its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 61,640 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 2,146 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $6,743,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in HIG. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 265.5% during the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 1,213,074 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $132,710,000 after purchasing an additional 881,224 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 437.9% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 871,318 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $95,322,000 after purchasing an additional 709,324 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 11,904.7% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 631,565 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $632,000 after purchasing an additional 626,304 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter worth about $65,256,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,938,421 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $430,272,000 after purchasing an additional 581,103 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Down 0.4 %

The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $119.20 on Friday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $94.47 and a 52 week high of $124.90. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $34.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.52, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $114.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $115.04.

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 net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 19.55%. Analysts expect that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 31,678 shares in the company, valued at $3,712,661.60. This trade represents a 29.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,412,161.98. This trade represents a 31.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price 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. Barclays upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com cut The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Financial Services Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Company 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.