AMF Tjanstepension AB Buys 12,414 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 6.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 198,195 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 12,414 shares during the period. AMF Tjanstepension AB owned about 0.07% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $21,705,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,701,675 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $514,363,000 after buying an additional 202,487 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.3% in the 4th 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. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,913,914 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $209,382,000 after buying an additional 39,585 shares during the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 1,457,147 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $159,412,000 after buying an additional 114,716 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,234,480 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $135,052,000 after buying an additional 34,938 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com lowered The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut 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 research report on Monday, February 3rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE:HIG opened at $117.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $112.46 and a 200-day moving average of $114.71. The company has a market cap of $33.65 billion, a PE ratio of 11.39, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a one year low of $94.47 and a one year high of $124.90.

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

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

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

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.