William Blair Investment Management LLC Purchases New Holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 154,277 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $33,034,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. McMillan Office Inc. purchased a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC increased its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 69.3% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 237 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jane D. Carlin sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $231.50, for a total value of $231,500.00. Following the sale, the director owned 2,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $525,505. The trade was a 30.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dennis Francis Kerrigan sold 6,551 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.79, for a total transaction of $1,446,395.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 12,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,650,142.37. This trade represents a 35.31% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 9,655 shares of company stock valued at $2,145,846. Corporate insiders own 2.80% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $220.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Citizens Jmp lifted their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $215.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Zacks Research upgraded The Hanover Insurance Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Friday, July 10th. 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $225.71.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

THG opened at $223.23 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $7.77 billion, a PE ratio of 10.66 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $166.54 and a 1 year high of $236.07. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $217.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $193.36.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The insurance provider reported $5.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.84 by $1.47. The firm had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.65 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 21.72% and a net margin of 11.17%.The Hanover Insurance Group’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.35 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 20.17 EPS for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, May 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $700.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the insurance provider to purchase up to 10.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 12th were paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 12th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.14%.

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.