BNP Paribas Invests $35,000 in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

BNP Paribas bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 300 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $35,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. DT Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Clean Yield Group purchased a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Quest Partners LLC raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co purchased a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the second quarter valued at $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on HIG shares. Barclays started coverage on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $130.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of 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. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Argus upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $121.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 6,865 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 0.9 %

NYSE:HIG opened at $123.74 on Friday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $76.65 and a 1-year high of $124.90. The company has a 50-day moving average of $117.32 and a 200 day moving average of $109.94. The firm 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 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. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This is a positive change from The Hartford Financial Services Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.68%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is 20.84%.

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.