Insider Selling: The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) EVP Sells 1,200 Shares of Stock

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.11, for a total value of $180,132.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 85,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,906,908.13. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:THG traded down $0.56 during trading on Thursday, reaching $149.02. 276,597 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 174,143. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.35 and a beta of 0.70. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $108.03 and a 12 month high of $150.95. The company has a 50 day moving average of $137.58 and a 200-day moving average of $132.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.40.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The insurance provider reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.88. The company had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.49 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 12.42% and a net margin of 4.44%. The business’s revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($1.91) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 10.85 EPS for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.23%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Hanover Insurance Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in THG. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group during the fourth quarter worth about $91,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 760,775 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $92,374,000 after purchasing an additional 14,609 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 24.2% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 3,411 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $414,000 after purchasing an additional 664 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 4,412 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $536,000 after purchasing an additional 472 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,900,000. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $147.00 to $162.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. JMP Securities increased their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Bank of America lowered their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $161.00 to $158.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $142.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $157.80.

The Hanover Insurance Group Company Profile

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides various property and casualty insurance products and services in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Core Commercial, Specialty, Personal Lines, and Other. The Commercial Lines segment offers commercial multiple peril, commercial automobile, workers' compensation, and other commercial lines coverage.