Advisory Alpha LLC Purchases Shares of 1,866 The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Advisory Alpha LLC acquired a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 1,866 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $204,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,938,421 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $430,272,000 after buying an additional 581,103 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 22.7% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,199,542 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $141,078,000 after acquiring an additional 221,778 shares during the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 42.1% in the third quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 935,298 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $110,000,000 after acquiring an additional 277,295 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 437.9% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 871,318 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $95,322,000 after purchasing an additional 709,324 shares during the last quarter. Finally, APG Asset Management N.V. lifted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 8.3% during the second quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 737,438 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $69,178,000 after purchasing an additional 56,664 shares during the period. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 6,865 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.04, for a total value of $803,479.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 25,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,021,972.80. The trade was a 21.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE HIG opened at $111.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.17, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.98. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $113.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $112.90. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $85.34 and a 12 month high of $124.90.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on HIG. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $135.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $113.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Barclays upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Financial Services Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.28.

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.