United Capital Financial Advisors LLC Invests $509,000 in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm acquired 2,378 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $509,000.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. McMillan Office Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC boosted 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 buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Dennis Francis Kerrigan sold 2,104 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.41, for a total value of $467,950.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 12,003 shares in the company, valued at $2,669,587.23. This trade represents a 14.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jane D. Carlin sold 1,000 shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.50, for a total value of $231,500.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 2,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $525,505. This represents a 30.58% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 9,655 shares of company stock worth $2,145,846 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 2.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $194.00 to $203.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $215.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded The Hanover Insurance Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $225.71.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

THG opened at $226.07 on Tuesday. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $166.54 and a 52-week high of $236.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company has a market cap of $7.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.79 and a beta of 0.27. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $220.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $195.72.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The insurance provider reported $5.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.84 by $1.47. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 11.17% and a return on equity of 21.72%. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $4.35 EPS. The Hanover Insurance Group’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 20.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, May 13th that permits the company to repurchase $700.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the insurance provider to repurchase up to 10.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s payout ratio is presently 18.14%.

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.