KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Invests $1.45 Million in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 9,400 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,454,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,239,701 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $183,612,000 after purchasing an additional 3,780 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 15.7% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 958,858 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $148,297,000 after buying an additional 130,054 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 2.6% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 660,272 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $97,816,000 after buying an additional 16,800 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 5.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 369,545 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $54,733,000 after acquiring an additional 17,856 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 349,125 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $53,996,000 after acquiring an additional 24,290 shares during the period. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at The Hanover Insurance Group

In other news, CEO John C. Roche sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.01, for a total value of $35,002.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 124,278 shares in the company, valued at $21,749,892.78. This represents a 0.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

Shares of THG opened at $172.55 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $163.46 and its 200 day moving average is $157.09. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $119.66 and a 12-month high of $176.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock has a market cap of $6.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.76 and a beta of 0.65.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $5.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.45 by $1.87. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 6.83% and a return on equity of 18.01%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on THG. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $176.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $161.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $175.25.

The Hanover Insurance Group Company Profile

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides various property and casualty insurance products and services in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Core Commercial, Specialty, Personal Lines, and Other. The Commercial Lines segment offers commercial multiple peril, commercial automobile, workers' compensation, and other commercial lines coverage.