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

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 36,753 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,254 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $4,323,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. DT Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the third quarter worth $26,000. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. bought a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Clean Yield Group purchased a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Quest Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2,750.0% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 285 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank & Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on HIG shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $122.00 to $134.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. Bank of America upped their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $121.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted 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. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $113.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $120.88.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other news, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 6,865 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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. This represents a 21.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 0.9 %

The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $122.61 on Wednesday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.65 and a 12 month high of $123.23. The company has a market capitalization of $35.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.94. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $117.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $109.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.70%. This is an increase 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 dividend payout ratio is 18.84%.

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.