Hantz Financial Services Inc. Sells 11,857 Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

Hantz Financial Services Inc. cut its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 59.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,149 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 11,857 shares during the quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group were worth $1,480,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 563.1% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 13,296 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,415,000 after purchasing an additional 11,291 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC lifted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 84.4% during the third quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 22,670 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,118,000 after acquiring an additional 10,375 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 75,356 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $12,801,000 after purchasing an additional 2,387 shares during the last quarter. Aviva PLC purchased a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group in the second quarter valued at about $475,000. Finally, Boston Partners boosted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 141.4% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 34,882 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $5,925,000 after purchasing an additional 20,432 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on THG shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on 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. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Monday, November 24th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Hanover Insurance Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $199.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hanover Insurance Group

In other news, EVP Denise Lowsley sold 1,619 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.47, for a total transaction of $293,799.93. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,511 shares in the company, valued at $637,141.17. This trade represents a 31.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard W. Lavey sold 24,420 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.92, for a total value of $4,369,226.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 32,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,756,572.08. This represents a 43.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

The Hanover Insurance Group Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of THG stock opened at $176.26 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.43 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.27 billion, a PE ratio of 9.70 and a beta of 0.32. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $178.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $176.48. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $147.76 and a 1-year high of $188.18.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The insurance provider reported $5.79 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.20 by $0.59. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 21.00% and a net margin of 10.05%.The firm had revenue of $1.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.32 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This is a boost from The Hanover Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.91%.

The Hanover Insurance Group 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.