The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) CEO Sells $1,619,278.92 in Stock

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) CEO John Roche sold 8,358 shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.74, for a total value of $1,619,278.92. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 141,011 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,319,471.14. This represents a 5.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

NYSE:THG opened at $195.34 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 0.31. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $160.70 and a 52-week high of $199.59. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $180.32 and a 200 day moving average of $178.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.37.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $5.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.14 by $1.11. The company had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.58 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 21.55% and a net margin of 10.77%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.87 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 18.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.12%.

The Hanover Insurance Group announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, May 13th that allows the company to buyback $700.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the insurance provider to buy up to 10.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Key The Hanover Insurance Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting The Hanover Insurance Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: THG was upgraded to Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), with Zacks citing improving earnings outlook and stronger estimate trends. Article title
• Positive Sentiment: THG also landed on Zacks’ Strong Buy income and Strong Buy value stock lists, reinforcing the view that the shares may still be attractive after a strong earnings beat and recent rally. Article title Article title
• Positive Sentiment: Earlier analyst updates remained constructive, including Oppenheimer raising its price target to $220 and maintaining an outperform view, which suggests further upside from current levels. Article title
• Neutral Sentiment: Two executives disclosed stock sales, including CEO John C. Roche and EVP Dennis Francis Kerrigan. Insider selling can sometimes weigh on sentiment, but the transactions were part of routine filings and do not by themselves signal a business deterioration. Article title
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s latest earnings report was strong, with EPS and revenue both topping estimates, and THG also authorized a $700 million share repurchase program, a shareholder-friendly move that can support the stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Hanover Insurance Group

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 36.1% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,280,418 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $217,505,000 after purchasing an additional 339,896 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 16.4% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 970,177 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $168,179,000 after purchasing an additional 136,998 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 24.9% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 953,781 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $174,322,000 after purchasing an additional 190,350 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 3.2% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 827,320 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $143,416,000 after purchasing an additional 25,945 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 727,958 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $133,073,000 after purchasing an additional 29,870 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $204.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley set a $195.00 price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $208.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $205.86.

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.