Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension Buys 17,142 Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension increased its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 13.2% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 147,109 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,142 shares during the quarter. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension’s holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group were worth $25,501,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in THG. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Community Bank N.A. acquired a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. McMillan Office Inc. acquired a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 69.3% in the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 237 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. 86.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Francisco Aristeguieta sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.37, for a total value of $195,370.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $791,834.61. This represents a 19.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Denise Lowsley sold 4,175 shares of the company’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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,883 shares in the company, valued at $744,487.59. This trade represents a 51.81% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 29,508 shares of company stock valued at $5,704,651 over the last ninety days. 2.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

THG stock opened at $213.94 on Monday. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $162.66 and a 12 month high of $225.29. The firm has a market cap of $7.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.77 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $198.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $183.86.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $5.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.14 by $1.11. The firm had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.58 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 21.55% and a net margin of 10.77%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.87 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 18.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, May 13th that permits the company to repurchase $700.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the insurance provider to purchase up to 10.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 26th. Investors of record on Friday, June 12th were issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 12th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

THG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $220.00 price target (up from $211.00) on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on 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. Citizens Jmp raised their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $205.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets downgraded The Hanover Insurance Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $194.00 to $203.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $215.43.

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.