Signet Financial Management LLC Trims Stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Signet Financial Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 30,446 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 193 shares during the period. Signet Financial Management LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $2,447,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. GoalVest Advisory LLC grew its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 464.8% in the fourth quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 305 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. CVA Family Office LLC purchased a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Selway Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on HIG. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $109.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $91.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $96.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $77.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $107.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $105.47.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of HIG traded up $0.37 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $97.67. The stock had a trading volume of 894,909 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,788,694. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $97.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $84.71. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a one year low of $67.05 and a one year high of $103.64. The firm has a market cap of $29.04 billion, a PE ratio of 12.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 the consensus estimate of $5.84 billion. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a net margin of 10.21% and a return on equity of 19.82%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.31 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 10.12 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Investors 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 1.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is 23.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 4,633 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.06, for a total value of $384,816.98. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 170,180 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,135,150.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, CEO Christopher Swift sold 4,633 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.06, for a total value of $384,816.98. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 170,180 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,135,150.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Allison G. Niderno sold 1,332 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.74, for a total transaction of $119,533.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $56,536.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 253,715 shares of company stock valued at $22,789,138. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

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.