Vest Financial LLC Buys 10,375 Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

Vest Financial LLC lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 84.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,670 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 10,375 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group were worth $4,118,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of THG. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 56.6% during the 2nd quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 224 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $69,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake 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 valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 25.4% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on THG shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $198.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Wednesday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Hanover Insurance Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $199.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hanover Insurance Group

In other The Hanover Insurance Group news, EVP Denise Lowsley sold 1,619 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.47, for a total transaction of $293,799.93. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,511 shares in the company, valued at approximately $637,141.17. This represents a 31.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock opened at $171.87 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. 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 market cap of $6.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.94 and a beta of 0.33. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $180.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $175.77.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The insurance provider reported $5.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.79 by $1.30. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 9.71% and a return on equity of 21.73%. The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.05 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 EPS for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. This is a positive change from The Hanover Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The Hanover Insurance Group’s payout ratio is presently 21.98%.

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.