BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $58.52 Million Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 29.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 497,589 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 111,952 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.17% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $58,521,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.0% in the third quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,444 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $287,000 after buying an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.0% in the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 19,247 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,264,000 after buying an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd lifted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.3% in the third quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 137,506 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $16,172,000 after buying an additional 4,449 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.9% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 435,627 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $50,873,000 after buying an additional 20,385 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hancock Whitney Corp lifted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.8% in the third quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 16,816 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,978,000 after buying an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 6,865 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.04, for a total value of $803,479.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,820 shares in the company, valued at $3,021,972.80. The trade was a 21.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on HIG shares. 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. Bank of America boosted 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 report on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $122.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. UBS Group boosted 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. Finally, Barclays started coverage on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $130.00 price objective on the stock. Ten equities research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.00.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

NYSE HIG opened at $123.74 on Thursday. 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 firm’s fifty day moving average price is $117.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $109.84. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $76.65 and a 1 year high of $124.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Increases Dividend

The business 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. This is an increase 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 ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s 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.