Dale Q Rice Investment Management Ltd Acquires Shares of 4,400 The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Dale Q Rice Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 4,400 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $481,000.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 31,680.4% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 694,084 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $816,310,000 after acquiring an additional 691,900 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,938,421 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $430,272,000 after purchasing an additional 581,103 shares during the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 42.1% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 935,298 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $110,000,000 after purchasing an additional 277,295 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC increased its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 7,564.9% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 248,648 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $29,243,000 after buying an additional 245,404 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 22.7% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,199,542 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $141,078,000 after buying an additional 221,778 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of HIG opened at $107.44 on Tuesday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $81.87 and a 52-week high of $124.90. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $114.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $112.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.98.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a $0.52 dividend. 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 dividend yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on HIG. StockNews.com raised The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on 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, November 27th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Barclays upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $113.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.50.

Insider Activity at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In related news, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 6,865 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.04, for a total transaction of $803,479.60. Following the completion of 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Company 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.