Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. Raises Position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. boosted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 15.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,419 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 330 shares during the period. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC.’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $265,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of HIG. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 27.6% in the second quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 221,896 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $22,309,000 after purchasing an additional 48,004 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 7.1% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 111,134 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $13,063,000 after purchasing an additional 7,350 shares in the last quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd raised its stake 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 valued at $16,172,000 after purchasing an additional 4,449 shares during the period. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $633,000. Finally, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI purchased a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $19,005,000. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Hartford Financial Services Group news, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 6,865 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.04, for a total value 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays raised shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $134.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective 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. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $113.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.28.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE HIG opened at $111.96 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $114.03 and its 200 day moving average is $112.57. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $81.87 and a 52 week high of $124.90. 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 company has a market cap of $32.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.22, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.98.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a $0.52 dividend. This is a positive change from The Hartford Financial Services Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.84%.

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.