8,202 Shares in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG Bought by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 8,202 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,756,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of THG. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group during the second quarter valued at $756,471,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 36.1% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,280,418 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $217,505,000 after buying an additional 339,896 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 16.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 970,177 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $168,179,000 after buying an additional 136,998 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 24.9% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 953,781 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $174,322,000 after buying an additional 190,350 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 827,320 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $143,416,000 after buying an additional 25,945 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of THG opened at $231.52 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $221.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $196.91. The company has a market cap of $8.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.05 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $166.54 and a twelve month high of $236.07.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The insurance provider reported $5.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.84 by $1.47. The firm had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.65 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 11.17% and a return on equity of 21.72%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.35 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 20.17 EPS for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, May 13th that allows the company to repurchase $700.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the insurance provider to buy up to 10.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.14%.

Insider Activity at The Hanover Insurance Group

In other The Hanover Insurance Group news, EVP Dennis Kerrigan sold 6,551 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.79, for a total transaction of $1,446,395.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 12,003 shares in the company, valued at $2,650,142.37. The trade was a 35.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jane D. Carlin sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $231.50, for a total value of $231,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,270 shares in the company, valued at approximately $525,505. This represents a 30.58% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 9,655 shares of company stock valued at $2,145,846 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 2.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Zacks Research upgraded The Hanover Insurance Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (a)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $220.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Friday, July 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $225.71.

About The Hanover Insurance Group

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc (NYSE: THG) is a property and casualty insurance company that provides a range of commercial and personal insurance products. Through its subsidiary companies, Hanover offers coverage for businesses of all sizes, including workers’ compensation, general liability, commercial auto, and professional liability. On the personal lines side, the company underwrites homeowners, personal auto, flood, and umbrella policies designed to meet the needs of individuals and families.

In addition to its core commercial and personal insurance offerings, Hanover maintains a specialty arm that focuses on niche markets through tailored product solutions.