The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG Shares Sold by Allianz Asset Management GmbH

Allianz Asset Management GmbH reduced its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 45.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,807 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 9,796 shares during the quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group were worth $2,145,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in THG. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 36.1% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,280,418 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $217,505,000 after buying an additional 339,896 shares during the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. boosted its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 52.9% during the 2nd quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 558,000 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $94,787,000 after acquiring an additional 193,000 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 21.0% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 553,815 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $93,190,000 after acquiring an additional 96,006 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.9% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 550,962 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $93,592,000 after purchasing an additional 5,145 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 20.2% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 497,429 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $84,498,000 after purchasing an additional 83,488 shares during the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted 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 report on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $200.40.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Down 0.8%

The Hanover Insurance Group stock opened at $171.20 on Friday. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $147.76 and a twelve month high of $188.18. 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 firm has a market cap of $6.09 billion, a PE ratio of 9.42 and a beta of 0.32. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $177.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $176.65.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The insurance provider reported $5.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.20 by $0.59. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 10.05% and a return on equity of 21.00%. The company had revenue of $1.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.32 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th were given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. This is an increase from The Hanover Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The Hanover Insurance Group’s payout ratio is currently 20.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hanover Insurance Group

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

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.