Dockside LLC Acquires Shares of 6,704 The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

Dockside LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 6,704 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,225,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 36.1% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,280,418 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $217,505,000 after buying an additional 339,896 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 833,179 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $152,285,000 after buying an additional 42,412 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 25.4% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 801,375 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $146,467,000 after buying an additional 162,111 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 37.8% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 763,431 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $137,967,000 after buying an additional 209,616 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 727,958 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $133,073,000 after buying an additional 29,870 shares in the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at The Hanover Insurance Group

In related news, EVP Denise Lowsley sold 4,175 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.73, for a total value of $800,472.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $744,487.59. This represents a 51.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Francisco Aristeguieta sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.37, for a total value of $195,370.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,053 shares in the company, valued at $791,834.61. This represents a 19.79% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 29,508 shares of company stock valued at $5,704,651 in the last ninety days. 2.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on THG. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley set a $195.00 price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Zacks Research raised shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $207.00.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

NYSE THG opened at $197.91 on Monday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $186.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $180.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.96 and a beta of 0.30. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $160.70 and a 52-week high of $199.59.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $5.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.14 by $1.11. The business had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.58 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 10.77% and a return on equity of 21.55%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.87 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 18.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, May 13th that permits the company to repurchase $700.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the insurance provider to buy up to 10.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 12th will be given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 12th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is 19.12%.

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.