Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Sells 733 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lowered its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 20.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,907 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 733 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $351,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.9% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 353,873 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $41,619,000 after purchasing an additional 6,605 shares during the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the third quarter worth $205,000. Tyler Stone Wealth Management raised its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 241.0% during the 3rd quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 1,879 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $221,000 after buying an additional 1,328 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV purchased a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the third quarter valued at about $474,000. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of HIG opened at $117.34 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market cap of $33.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $112.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $114.80. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $94.47 and a 52 week high of $124.90.

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 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share 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 given a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays upgraded shares of 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 reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted 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 note on Wednesday, November 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. 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 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.