The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG Shares Sold by California Public Employees Retirement System

California Public Employees Retirement System trimmed its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 9.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 95,924 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 10,063 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned approximately 0.27% of The Hanover Insurance Group worth $16,628,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. McMillan Office Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 69.3% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 237 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 146.2% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 256 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Hanover Insurance Group Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:THG opened at $214.10 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.49 billion, a PE ratio of 10.78 and a beta of 0.28. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $163.18 and a 1 year high of $225.29. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $203.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $185.68.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $5.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.14 by $1.11. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 21.55% and a net margin of 10.77%.The business had revenue of $1.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.87 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 18.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

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

The Hanover Insurance Group announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, May 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $700.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the insurance provider to purchase up to 10.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

THG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citizens Jmp boosted their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $205.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $195.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $220.00 price objective (up from $211.00) on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings raised The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered The Hanover Insurance Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Hanover Insurance Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $218.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Hanover Insurance Group news, CEO John C. Roche sold 8,358 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.74, for a total value of $1,619,278.92. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 141,011 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,319,471.14. This trade represents a 5.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Denise Lowsley sold 4,175 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.73, for a total value of $800,472.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $744,487.59. This represents a 51.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 in the last quarter. Insiders own 2.80% of the company’s stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Company 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.