The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG Shares Sold by LSV Asset Management

LSV Asset Management lowered its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 38.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,500 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 954 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management’s holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group were worth $255,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group during the first quarter worth $27,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 819.0% during the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 386 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 20.3% during the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 468 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 119.4% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 566 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares during the period. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Hanover Insurance Group Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of THG opened at $183.43 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.61 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $177.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $172.40. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $145.17 and a twelve month high of $186.46.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The insurance provider reported $5.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.79 by $1.30. The company had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.72 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 22.43% and a net margin of 9.71%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.05 earnings per share. On average, equities research 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 26th. Investors of record on Friday, September 12th were paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 12th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.82%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Denise Lowsley sold 1,619 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $181.47, for a total value of $293,799.93. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,511 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $637,141.17. This represents a 31.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $198.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Thursday, July 31st. JMP Securities set a $205.00 price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $195.00.

About The Hanover Insurance Group

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides various property and casualty insurance products and services in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Core Commercial, Specialty, Personal Lines, and Other. The Commercial Lines segment offers commercial multiple peril, commercial automobile, workers' compensation, and other commercial lines coverage.