Brown Advisory Inc. Sells 67,021 Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

Brown Advisory Inc. decreased its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 26.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 183,815 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 67,021 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc.’s holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group were worth $33,596,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 28.5% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 639,264 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $116,110,000 after buying an additional 141,835 shares in the last quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 73.6% during the 3rd quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 68,641 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $12,467,000 after buying an additional 29,106 shares in the last quarter. Capula Management Ltd bought a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,877,000. Legato Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,238,000. Finally, Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 15.0% during the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 89,342 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $16,227,000 after buying an additional 11,666 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:THG opened at $198.19 on Tuesday. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a one year low of $160.70 and a one year high of $199.59. 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 firm has a market cap of $6.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.97 and a beta of 0.30. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $186.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $180.19.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $5.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.14 by $1.11. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 10.77% and a return on equity of 21.55%. The firm had revenue of $1.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.87 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 18.36 EPS 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 reacquire up to 10.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at The Hanover Insurance Group

In other news, EVP Dennis Francis Kerrigan sold 6,262 shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.99, for a total value of $1,208,503.38. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 11,988 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,313,564.12. The trade was a 34.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Denise Lowsley sold 4,175 shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was 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 directly owned 3,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $744,487.59. The trade was a 51.81% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 29,508 shares of company stock worth $5,704,651. 2.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lowered 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 report on Tuesday, May 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Citigroup restated an “outperform” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $207.00.

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.