D.A. Davidson & CO. Acquires 199 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 1.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,247 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $2,264,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.2% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,809,358 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $584,177,000 after acquiring an additional 69,007 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,497,960 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $150,605,000 after purchasing an additional 70,018 shares during the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. raised its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 1,367,400 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $137,478,000 after purchasing an additional 31,806 shares in the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 1,229,133 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $123,577,000 after buying an additional 40,400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 22.7% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,199,542 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $141,078,000 after buying an additional 221,778 shares in the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on HIG shares. Argus upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Barclays began coverage on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $130.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America upped their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $121.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Hartford Financial Services Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.00.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HIG opened at $123.37 on Friday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $76.65 and a 12-month high of $124.90. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $117.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $110.10. The firm has a market cap of $35.76 billion, a PE ratio of 12.36, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.69%. This is an increase from The Hartford Financial Services Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.84%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 6,865 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 approximately $3,021,972.80. This represents a 21.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

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.