Simplicity Solutions LLC Buys 168 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Simplicity Solutions LLC increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,164 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. Simplicity Solutions LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $415,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of HIG. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 7.2% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 17,704 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,271,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 9.1% in the 1st quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 3,952 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $284,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares during the period. Prudential PLC acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 1st quarter valued at $674,000. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 88.6% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 11,238 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $807,000 after buying an additional 5,278 shares during the period. Finally, Zions Bancorporation N.A. lifted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 235.4% during the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 1,070 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $77,000 after buying an additional 751 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HIG opened at $98.95 on Friday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a one year low of $67.05 and a one year high of $103.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $29.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.38, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.89. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $97.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $85.25.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The insurance provider reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by $0.62. The company had revenue of $6.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.84 billion. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 19.82% and a net margin of 10.21%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.31 EPS. Research analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 10.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.53%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,332 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.74, for a total transaction of $119,533.68. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,536.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 8,206 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.60, for a total value of $784,493.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 25,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,468,392. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,332 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.74, for a total value of $119,533.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 630 shares in the company, valued at $56,536.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 202,264 shares of company stock valued at $18,438,369 over the last quarter. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on HIG. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $77.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. UBS Group boosted their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $107.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $92.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. TD Cowen upped their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group to $144.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.56.

About The Hartford Financial Services Group

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.