Freedom Investment Management Inc. Has $1.19 Million Stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Freedom Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 17.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,844 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,626 shares during the period. Freedom Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $1,186,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of HIG. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3,342.9% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 241 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. lifted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% in the fourth 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. DT Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% during the fourth quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 331 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Key Financial Inc increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 526.3% in the 4th quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 357 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HIG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Raymond James raised their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Barclays upped their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $126.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 98,061 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total value of $1,539,773.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 112,343 shares of company stock valued at $13,488,337 over the last quarter. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 0.6 %

HIG opened at $117.84 on Friday. 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 fifty day moving average of $117.07 and a 200-day moving average of $115.35. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $94.47 and a fifty-two week high of $125.08. The company has a market capitalization of $33.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.68.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last announced 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 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 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.10%.

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.