The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) Stock: Insider John Roche Sells 14,422 Shares

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) CEO John Roche sold 14,422 shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.39, for a total transaction of $3,596,702.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 151,224 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,713,753.36. This trade represents a 8.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

Shares of THG opened at $247.86 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $8.52 billion, a PE ratio of 11.56 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $230.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $203.53. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $166.54 and a 1-year high of $256.74.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The insurance provider reported $5.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.62 by $0.53. The firm had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.81 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 21.63% and a net margin of 10.97%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.09 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 20.80 EPS for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 11th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is 18.17%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Hanover Insurance Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 74.1% in the 3rd quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 1,898 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $406,000 after purchasing an additional 808 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 171.3% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 4,154 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $890,000 after purchasing an additional 2,623 shares in the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC grew its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 7.1% during the third quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 54,705 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $11,713,000 after purchasing an additional 3,606 shares in the last quarter. Focus Advisor Solutions LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 139.2% in the third quarter. Focus Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 7,566 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,620,000 after purchasing an additional 4,403 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 2.2% in the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 3,900 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $835,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on THG. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $260.00 target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Citizens Jmp increased their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $248.00 price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Friday, November 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $236.62.

About The Hanover Insurance Group

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. is a property and casualty insurer founded in 1852 as the Hanover Fire Insurance Company. Headquartered in Worcester, Massachusetts, it provides insurance products and services primarily in the United States. The company offers personal insurance, including coverage for homes and automobiles, as well as commercial insurance for businesses. Its commercial offerings include coverage for small and midsize businesses and specialty risks. The Hanover distributes its products mainly through independent insurance agents and brokers, working with them to serve individuals, families, and businesses.