Heartland Advisors Inc. Has $7.79 Million Stake in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

Heartland Advisors Inc. cut its position in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 42,876 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 5,273 shares during the quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc.’s holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group were worth $7,788,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in 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 last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the third quarter worth approximately $69,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 87.7% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 533 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $97,000 after buying an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 25.4% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at The Hanover Insurance Group

In related news, EVP Richard W. Lavey sold 24,420 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.92, for a total value of $4,369,226.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 32,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,756,572.08. This trade represents a 43.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on THG shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $200.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, The Hanover Insurance Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $200.40.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock opened at $171.60 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $177.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $176.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.43. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $147.76 and a 52-week high of $188.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.11 billion, a PE ratio of 9.44 and a beta of 0.32.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The insurance provider reported $5.79 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.20 by $0.59. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 21.00% and a net margin of 10.05%.The company had revenue of $1.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $5.32 earnings per share. The Hanover Insurance Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th were issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This is a positive change from The Hanover Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s payout ratio is currently 20.91%.

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.