34,385 Shares in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) Purchased by Entropy Technologies LP

Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 34,385 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,044,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.2% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,809,358 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $584,177,000 after buying an additional 69,007 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.9% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,497,960 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $150,605,000 after buying an additional 70,018 shares in the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.4% during the second quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 1,367,400 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $137,478,000 after buying an additional 31,806 shares in the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.4% during the second quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 1,229,133 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $123,577,000 after buying an additional 40,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 22.7% during the third 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. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on HIG. Barclays started coverage on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $130.00 price target for the company. 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. Argus raised shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $113.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $120.88.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:HIG traded up $0.19 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $117.89. The company had a trading volume of 1,414,828 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,604,185. 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 stock's fifty day moving average price is $116.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $108.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.79, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.94. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a one year low of $73.92 and a one year high of $123.23.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This is a positive change from The Hartford Financial Services Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.76%. The Hartford Financial Services Group's payout ratio is presently 20.84%.

The Hartford Financial Services Group declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, July 25th that permits the company to buyback $3.30 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the insurance provider to buy up to 10.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.