Hartford Financial Services (HIG: sentiment, chart, options) was one of many insurance firms today to attract the attention of analysts at Bernstein. The brokerage firm cut its price target on HIG from $32 to $25, but maintained its "outperform" rating.

Investors appear to be focusing on the bullish reiteration, rather than the price-target reduction -- in afternoon trading, HIG is up more than 12% at $19.34. The stock has tumbled 79.5% during the past 52 weeks, but recently clambered back atop its 10-week moving average. Now, the shares are gearing up to test the round-number 20 region.

Option players are apparently confident that HIG can tackle this psychologically significant level. During the past 10 days, traders on the International Securities Exchange (ISE) have purchased more than twice as many calls than puts on the security.

If the stock extends its fledgling rally, it could benefit from potential upgrades. Zacks reports 9 "holds" and 1 "strong sell," compared to just 6 "buy" or better ratings.