Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Purchases 1,144 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise increased its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 6.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,404 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,144 shares during the quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $2,164,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,088 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $481,000 after buying an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 5,621 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $661,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC lifted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 6,364.9% in the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 18,425 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,167,000 after purchasing an additional 18,140 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 34.0% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 17,658 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,077,000 after purchasing an additional 4,482 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC lifted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.8% in the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 10,787 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,269,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

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.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE HIG opened at $118.19 on Thursday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.25 and a 12 month high of $123.23. The stock has a market cap of $34.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.84, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.94. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $116.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $109.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

The Hartford Financial Services Group declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, July 25th that permits the company to repurchase $3.30 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the insurance provider to reacquire up to 10.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 is a boost 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 1.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $121.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $113.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Argus upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $122.00 to $134.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. Nine 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $120.88.

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.