Cerity Partners LLC Has $7.93 Million Stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG - Free Report) by 9.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 67,445 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 6,094 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $7,932,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HIG. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 108.4% during the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 19,098 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,968,000 after acquiring an additional 9,932 shares during the period. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. bought a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lifted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 7.2% in the first 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. Swedbank AB bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $53,980,000. Finally, Atria Investments Inc acquired a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,328,000. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 6,865 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.04, for a total value 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. The trade was a 21.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on HIG shares. UBS Group upped 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. StockNews.com raised The Hartford Financial Services Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $121.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $122.00.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE HIG traded up $1.12 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $123.74. 1,044,597 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,593,472. The company's fifty day moving average is $117.32 and its two-hundred 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 Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $76.65 and a fifty-two week high of $124.90. The stock has a market cap of $35.87 billion, a PE ratio of 12.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.94.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Increases Dividend

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

About The Hartford Financial Services Group

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.