Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Buys 136,998 Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 16.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 970,177 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 136,998 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 2.77% of The Hanover Insurance Group worth $168,179,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Precision Wealth Strategies LLC boosted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 64.1% during the 1st quarter. Precision Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 4,711 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $817,000 after purchasing an additional 1,840 shares during the last quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. raised its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 69.5% in the first quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 2,558 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $443,000 after purchasing an additional 1,049 shares during the last quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $222,000. Angeles Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $250,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.8% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 17,968 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,114,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

NYSE THG opened at $217.64 on Friday. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $163.78 and a 52-week high of $225.29. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $203.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $185.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.37. The company has a market capitalization of $7.62 billion, a PE ratio of 10.95 and a beta of 0.28.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $5.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.14 by $1.11. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 10.77% and a return on equity of 21.55%. The company had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.87 EPS. The Hanover Insurance Group’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 18.38 EPS for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, May 13th that authorizes the company to buyback $700.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the insurance provider to purchase up to 10.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 12th were paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 12th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO John C. Roche sold 8,358 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.74, for a total value of $1,619,278.92. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 141,011 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,319,471.14. The trade was a 5.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Cynthia Egan sold 3,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.50, for a total transaction of $640,900.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 9,359 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,764,171.50. This trade represents a 26.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 29,508 shares of company stock worth $5,704,651 in the last quarter. 2.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on THG. Citizens Jmp lifted their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $205.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $195.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Zacks Research cut shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $218.29.

About The Hanover Insurance Group

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.