William Blair Investment Management LLC Takes Position in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 139,892 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $25,409,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 300.0% during the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 200 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 56.6% during the second quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 224 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $69,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 87.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 533 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $97,000 after buying an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen downgraded The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $200.60.

Insider Transactions at The Hanover Insurance Group

In related news, EVP Richard W. Lavey sold 24,420 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.92, for a total value of $4,369,226.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 32,174 shares in the company, valued at $5,756,572.08. This represents a 43.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Jane D. Carlin sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.91, for a total transaction of $217,092.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,423 shares in the company, valued at approximately $438,344.93. This trade represents a 33.12% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

The Hanover Insurance Group Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock opened at $181.68 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $175.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $177.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.00 and a beta of 0.31. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $147.76 and a 12-month high of $188.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 20th. The insurance provider reported $5.46 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 10.05% and a return on equity of 21.00%. Analysts predict that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 EPS for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s payout ratio is presently 20.91%.

The Hanover Insurance Group Company Profile

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.