Pullen Investment Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG)

Pullen Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 2.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,217 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. The Hanover Insurance Group comprises approximately 1.3% of Pullen Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Pullen Investment Management LLC’s holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group were worth $2,125,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of THG. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 91.9% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 213 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 49.5% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 272 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 81.7% in the fourth quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 307 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 331.4% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 302 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group in the first quarter valued at $53,000. 86.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at The Hanover Insurance Group

In other news, CEO John C. Roche sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.01, for a total transaction of $35,002.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 124,278 shares in the company, valued at $21,749,892.78. The trade was a 0.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Bryan J. Salvatore sold 10,526 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.60, for a total transaction of $1,753,631.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 25,864 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,308,942.40. This trade represents a 28.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 11,027 shares of company stock worth $1,841,309 over the last ninety days. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:THG opened at $169.41 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $166.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $162.65. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a one year low of $119.66 and a one year high of $178.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.49 and a beta of 0.45.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.58 by $0.29. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 6.83% and a return on equity of 18.01%. The business had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.55 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.08 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 EPS for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.13%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

THG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. JMP Securities boosted their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $163.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $179.50.

The Hanover Insurance Group 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.