The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Shares Acquired by Great Valley Advisor Group Inc.

Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. grew its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 7.7% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 2,557 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc.’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $300,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Trust Co. of Vermont raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Bailard Inc. raised its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.5% during 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 period. Catalina Capital Group LLC raised its stake in 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 during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake 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 worth $661,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. Finally, Tectonic Advisors LLC raised its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.6% during the third quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 4,566 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $537,000 after acquiring an additional 114 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 topic of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased 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 research note on Wednesday, October 9th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, 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. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 6,865 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,820 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,021,972.80. This trade represents a 21.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 0.9 %

The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $123.74 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $117.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $109.84. 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 stock has a market capitalization 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $76.65 and a 12-month high of $124.90.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This is a boost from The Hartford Financial Services Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.