Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. Makes New $598,000 Investment in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 3,272 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $598,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 1,880 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $344,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 2,026 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $370,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.6% during the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 12,020 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,183,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 1,294 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,610 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $294,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at The Hanover Insurance Group

In other news, Director Francisco Aristeguieta sold 1,000 shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.37, for a total transaction of $195,370.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,053 shares in the company, valued at approximately $791,834.61. The trade was a 19.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Denise Lowsley sold 4,175 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.73, for a total transaction of $800,472.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $744,487.59. The trade was a 51.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 29,508 shares of company stock valued at $5,704,651 in the last quarter. Insiders own 2.80% of the company’s stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

NYSE THG opened at $197.91 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $6.92 billion, a PE ratio of 9.96 and a beta of 0.30. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $186.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $180.10. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $160.70 and a fifty-two week high of $199.59.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $5.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.14 by $1.11. The company had revenue of $1.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.58 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 10.77% and a return on equity of 21.55%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.87 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 18.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, May 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $700.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the insurance provider to purchase up to 10.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 12th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s payout ratio is 19.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on THG. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $208.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley set a $195.00 price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $194.00 to $203.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, The Hanover Insurance Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $207.00.

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.