Martingale Asset Management L P Decreases Holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Martingale Asset Management L P lowered its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 13.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 174,224 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 28,036 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P owned about 0.06% of The Hartford Financial Services Group worth $20,490,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 108.4% during the first quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 19,098 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,968,000 after buying an additional 9,932 shares during the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 7.2% in the 1st quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 5,220 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $538,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc purchased a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,328,000. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 104.8% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 55,465 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $5,716,000 after purchasing an additional 28,383 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC grew its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 64.8% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 17,472 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,800,000 after purchasing an additional 6,872 shares during the period. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other news, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 6,865 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,820 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,021,972.80. This represents a 21.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have 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. Argus upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America upped their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $121.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target 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. Ten 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $122.00.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE HIG traded down $0.43 on Friday, reaching $123.31. 816,386 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,590,110. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $117.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $109.94. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.65 and a 12 month high of $124.90. The company has a market cap of $35.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.69%. This is an increase from The Hartford Financial Services Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. The Hartford Financial Services Group's payout ratio is 18.84%.

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.