Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. Buys New Holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 15,647 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,840,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 27.9% during the third quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 403 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its stake in shares of 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 worth $287,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Bailard Inc. grew its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.5% during the second quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 19,378 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,948,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Catalina Capital Group LLC raised its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.3% during the third quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC now owns 2,488 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $293,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.9% in the third quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 5,621 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $661,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. 93.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 6,865 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,820 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,021,972.80. This represents a 21.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on HIG. 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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 report on Tuesday, September 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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 note on Friday, October 25th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on 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. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given 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 an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $122.00.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Down 0.6 %

The Hartford Financial Services Group stock traded down $0.74 during trading on Monday, reaching $122.05. 372,751 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,584,737. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $117.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $110.23. The company has a market capitalization of $35.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.18, a PEG ratio of 1.01 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $77.59 and a 52-week high of $124.90.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.70%. 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 currently 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.