2,843 Shares in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Acquired by Suncoast Equity Management

Suncoast Equity Management bought a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,843 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $311,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC raised its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,079 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $337,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% during the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.0% in the third quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,444 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $287,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,468 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $489,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,499 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,258,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on HIG shares. StockNews.com upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price 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 report on Wednesday, November 27th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

NYSE HIG opened at $112.39 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $93.41 and a twelve month high of $124.90. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $110.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $114.06. The firm has a market cap of $32.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.97.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio 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.