Martingale Asset Management L P Acquires 5,669 Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

Martingale Asset Management L P lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 7.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 77,805 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,669 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P owned about 0.22% of The Hanover Insurance Group worth $14,132,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in THG. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 58.4% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 448,980 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $81,548,000 after acquiring an additional 165,496 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 25.4% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 94,080 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $17,088,000 after acquiring an additional 19,084 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 5.9% during the third quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 6,774 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,230,000 after buying an additional 377 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 6,533 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,187,000 after purchasing an additional 613 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank raised its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 1.2% during the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 69,600 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $12,641,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

THG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, The Hanover Insurance Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $200.60.

Insider Transactions at The Hanover Insurance Group

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

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

THG opened at $174.06 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.58 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $174.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $177.42. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $147.76 and a 12-month high of $188.18.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 20th. The insurance provider reported $5.46 earnings per share for the quarter. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 10.05% and a return on equity of 21.00%. The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s payout ratio is presently 20.91%.

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.