The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG Shares Purchased by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 9.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,445 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group were worth $245,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 819.0% during the 1st quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 386 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 344 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 20.3% during the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 468 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 47.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 499 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $87,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

THG opened at $177.55 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $145.17 and a 52-week high of $186.46. The company has a 50 day moving average of $176.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $169.80. The company has a market cap of $6.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.69 and a beta of 0.44.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The insurance provider reported $4.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.07 by $1.28. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 8.67% and a return on equity of 20.24%. The company had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.88 earnings per share. The Hanover Insurance Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 26th. Investors of record on Friday, September 12th were issued a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 12th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on THG shares. Citigroup restated an “outperform” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. JMP Securities set a $205.00 price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $188.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, The Hanover Insurance Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $188.00.

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.