Natixis Advisors LLC Sells 4,452 Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

Natixis Advisors LLC decreased its position in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 4.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 92,612 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 4,452 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group were worth $16,926,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of THG. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 61.0% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 88,367 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $15,371,000 after purchasing an additional 33,495 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 1,568.9% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 751 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $131,000 after purchasing an additional 706 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 21.6% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 218,753 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $38,052,000 after buying an additional 38,905 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 6.4% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 129,031 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $22,445,000 after buying an additional 7,712 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 7.7% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 283,484 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $48,155,000 after buying an additional 20,294 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:THG opened at $193.38 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $183.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $179.62. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $6.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.73 and a beta of 0.30. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $160.70 and a fifty-two week high of $199.59.

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

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 12th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.12%.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

THG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Piper Sandler upped their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $212.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Weiss Ratings upgraded The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Citizens Jmp upped their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded The Hanover Insurance Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, The Hanover Insurance Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $207.00.

Insider Activity at The Hanover Insurance Group

In other news, EVP Denise Lowsley sold 4,175 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.73, for a total transaction of $800,472.75. Following the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Cynthia Egan sold 3,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.50, for a total value of $640,900.00. Following the sale, the director owned 9,359 shares in the company, valued at $1,764,171.50. The trade was a 26.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 29,508 shares of company stock valued at $5,704,651. 2.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.