Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. Buys 595 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 19.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,683 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 595 shares during the period. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C.’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $403,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in HIG. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,079 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $337,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,468 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $489,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,499 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,258,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co raised its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 475 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $123.11 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $115.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $115.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a market cap of $35.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.89, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $94.47 and a 12-month high of $124.90.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. On average, equities analysts expect 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.69%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.10%.

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total value of $1,539,773.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,712,661.60. The trade was a 29.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.39, for a total value of $11,805,563.79. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,412,161.98. This trade 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 insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HIG has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target 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. Barclays upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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 note on Monday, February 3rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.