BNP Paribas Financial Markets Raises Stock Holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) 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 purchasing an additional 111,952 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.17% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $58,521,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,444 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $287,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 19,247 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,264,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd raised its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 137,506 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $16,172,000 after purchasing an additional 4,449 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.9% in the 3rd 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 grew its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.8% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.42% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HIG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Argus raised The Hartford Financial Services Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group upped 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 report on Wednesday, October 9th. UBS Group raised 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 research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $122.00.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 0.9 %

HIG traded up $1.12 on Thursday, reaching $123.74. 1,044,597 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,593,472. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $76.65 and a twelve month high of $124.90. The company's 50 day moving average is $117.32 and its 200-day moving average is $109.94. 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 company has a market cap of $35.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.40, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. This is a positive change from The Hartford Financial Services Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The Hartford Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.84%.

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 that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.04, for a total transaction of $803,479.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,820 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,021,972.80. The trade was a 21.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

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.