The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Position Boosted by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 9.9% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 67,445 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,094 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $7,932,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 27.9% in the 3rd quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 403 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Bailard Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.5% in the second quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 19,378 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,948,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.3% during the third quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC now owns 2,488 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $293,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.9% during the third quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 5,621 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $661,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tectonic Advisors LLC grew its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.6% in the third quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 4,566 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $537,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $123.74 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $117.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $109.84. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $76.65 and a fifty-two week high of $124.90. 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 company has a market cap of $35.87 billion, a PE ratio of 12.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.68%. This is a positive change from The Hartford Financial Services Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is currently 18.84%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 6,865 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.04, for a total transaction of $803,479.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 25,820 shares in the company, valued at $3,021,972.80. The trade was a 21.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on HIG. StockNews.com upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $113.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Argus upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Ten 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 data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.00.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Company 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.