Global Retirement Partners LLC Purchases 162 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 10.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,788 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 162 shares during the quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $196,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3,342.9% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 241 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the period. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its stake 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 during the last quarter. BNP Paribas bought a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the third quarter worth $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 49.8% in the fourth quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 331 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, Key Financial Inc raised its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 526.3% during the 4th quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 357 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. StockNews.com cut The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays raised shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of 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. Ten 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 2.4 %

HIG stock opened at $116.53 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $111.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $114.32. The company has a market cap of $33.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.97. 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 Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $94.32 and a fifty-two week high of $124.90.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. On average, research 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.