WBI Investments LLC Invests $3.97 Million in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG)

WBI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 25,635 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,965,000. The Hanover Insurance Group accounts for approximately 1.0% of WBI Investments LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. WBI Investments LLC owned about 0.07% of The Hanover Insurance Group at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 61.5% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 27,155 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,022,000 after buying an additional 10,341 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $201,000. Congress Asset Management Co. increased its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 42.5% during the fourth quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 46,091 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $7,128,000 after purchasing an additional 13,750 shares during the last quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 48.8% in the 4th quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 76,503 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $11,832,000 after purchasing an additional 25,089 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 24,290 shares during the period. 86.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other The Hanover Insurance Group news, CEO John C. Roche sold 301 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $52,675.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 124,414 shares in the company, valued at $21,772,450. This trade represents a 0.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Bryan J. Salvatore sold 10,526 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.60, for a total value of $1,753,631.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,864 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,308,942.40. This trade represents a 28.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 11,027 shares of company stock worth $1,841,309 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Trading Up 1.5%

NYSE THG opened at $168.43 on Monday. 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 Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $119.66 and a 52 week high of $176.16. The firm has a market cap of $6.05 billion, a PE ratio of 14.41 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $165.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $161.00.

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

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on THG. Barclays raised The Hanover Insurance Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley upped 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. JMP Securities raised their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded The Hanover Insurance Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.