The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) Given New $139.00 Price Target at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) had its target price boosted by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $135.00 to $139.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods currently has an outperform rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. UBS Group upped their target price 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $122.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.50.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Down 2.9 %

Shares of NYSE HIG opened at $106.25 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $114.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $112.26. 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 has a 1 year low of $81.69 and a 1 year high of $124.90. The firm has a market cap of $30.80 billion, a PE ratio of 10.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.98.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This is a boost from The Hartford Financial Services Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.96%. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is 20.84%.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 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 completion of 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. DT Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Quest Partners LLC boosted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2,750.0% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 285 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Clean Yield Group bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. BNP Paribas bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

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.