Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Acquires 11,666 Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 15.0% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 89,342 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 11,666 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group were worth $16,227,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 300.0% during the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 200 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $69,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 87.7% in the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 533 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $97,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on THG shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $200.60.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE THG opened at $177.94 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.44. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $175.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $177.41. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $147.76 and a fifty-two week high of $188.18. The stock has a market cap of $6.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.79 and a beta of 0.31.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 20th. The insurance provider reported $5.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 21.00% and a net margin of 10.05%.The company had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s payout ratio is presently 20.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Richard W. Lavey sold 24,420 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was 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 trade represents a 43.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jane D. Carlin sold 1,200 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the director owned 2,423 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $438,344.93. This represents a 33.12% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.