Bridgewater Associates LP Acquires 555 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Bridgewater Associates LP grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 0.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 268,947 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 555 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP owned about 0.09% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $31,631,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. DT Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the third quarter worth $26,000. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the first quarter worth $26,000. Clean Yield Group bought a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Quest Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2,750.0% in 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 period. Finally, Bank & Trust Co bought a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other news, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 6,865 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 25,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,021,972.80. This represents a 21.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on HIG. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. UBS Group raised 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 report on Tuesday, October 15th. StockNews.com raised shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Argus upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Ten research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.00.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock opened at $123.74 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $117.16 and a 200 day moving average of $109.84. 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 company has a market cap of $35.87 billion, a PE ratio of 12.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.94. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.65 and a 52 week high of $124.90.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. 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%.

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.