AMF Tjanstepension AB Grows Holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 6.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 198,195 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,414 shares during the quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $21,705,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HIG. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3,342.9% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. boosted its stake in 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 valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas purchased a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Key Financial Inc boosted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 526.3% in the fourth quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 357 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on HIG. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated 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. StockNews.com cut shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Barclays upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of 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 given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Financial Services Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $117.92 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $112.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $114.71. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $33.65 billion, a PE ratio of 11.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $94.47 and a 1-year high of $124.90.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, 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 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is 20.10%.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Company 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.