Townsquare Capital LLC Buys 1,962 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Townsquare Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,860 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,962 shares during the quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $924,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of HIG. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 31,680.4% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 694,084 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $816,310,000 after buying an additional 691,900 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 221,778 shares during the last quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC increased its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 237.1% in the second quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC now owns 299,364 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $30,098,000 after purchasing an additional 210,546 shares during the period. Achmea Investment Management B.V. raised its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 168.8% during the 2nd quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 235,392 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $23,666,000 after purchasing an additional 147,823 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RiverFront Investment Group LLC lifted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 127.6% during the 2nd quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC now owns 215,832 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $21,700,000 after purchasing an additional 121,019 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HIG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $122.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. Barclays started coverage on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $130.00 target price for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. StockNews.com raised The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on 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. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.00.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Down 1.2 %

HIG stock opened at $121.28 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $117.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $110.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.15, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.94. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $77.59 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 Hartford Financial Services Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.72%. This is an increase from The Hartford Financial Services Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is currently 20.84%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 6,865 shares of the business’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 value of $803,479.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,820 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,021,972.80. The trade was a 21.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company 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.