Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Decreases Stock Position in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA decreased its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 2.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,265,574 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 28,953 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned approximately 3.54% of The Hanover Insurance Group worth $229,866,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. 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 valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $69,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 20.3% in the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 468 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 22.8% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 705 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $120,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Denise Lowsley sold 1,619 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.47, for a total transaction of $293,799.93. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,511 shares in the company, valued at approximately $637,141.17. This trade represents a 31.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on THG. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $198.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $199.00.

The Hanover Insurance Group Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE THG opened at $169.76 on Tuesday. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $147.76 and a fifty-two week high of $188.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.42. The company has a market cap of $6.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.82 and a beta of 0.33. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $180.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $175.77.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The insurance provider reported $5.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.79 by $1.30. The company had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.72 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 21.73% and a net margin of 9.71%.The Hanover Insurance Group’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.05 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th were paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. This is an increase from The Hanover Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s payout ratio is currently 21.98%.

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.