Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Has $16.78 Million Stock Holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lowered its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 10.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 142,674 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 15,849 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $16,780,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,809,358 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $584,177,000 after acquiring an additional 69,007 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,497,960 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $150,605,000 after buying an additional 70,018 shares during the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. lifted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 1,367,400 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $137,478,000 after buying an additional 31,806 shares during the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 1,229,133 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $123,577,000 after buying an additional 40,400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 22.7% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,199,542 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $141,078,000 after buying an additional 221,778 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on HIG. StockNews.com upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of 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. Barclays initiated 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 target price for the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $100.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.00.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

HIG opened at $112.99 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $32.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.32, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $117.83 and a 200 day moving average of $110.98. 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 $78.33 and a fifty-two week high of $124.90.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This is a positive change from The Hartford Financial Services Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.84%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Adin M. Tooker sold 6,865 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.04, for a total value of $803,479.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,021,972.80. This represents a 21.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.60% 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.