Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Acquires 4,254 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 36,753 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,254 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $4,323,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. DT Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. bought a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Clean Yield Group purchased a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Quest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2,750.0% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 285 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the period. Finally, Bank & Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Argus raised The Hartford Financial Services Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $121.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $120.88.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of HIG opened at $122.61 on Wednesday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $76.65 and a 1 year high of $123.23. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $117.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $109.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $35.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.70%. This is a boost from The Hartford Financial Services Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is presently 18.84%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other news, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 6,865 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.04, for a total transaction of $803,479.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,021,972.80. This represents a 21.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 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.