Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Sells 28,953 Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA decreased its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 2.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,265,574 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 28,953 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group were worth $229,866,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 56.6% in the 2nd quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 224 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group during the second quarter valued at about $39,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the third quarter valued at about $69,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 20.3% in the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 468 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 25.4% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Denise Lowsley sold 1,619 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.47, for a total value of $293,799.93. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,511 shares in the company, valued at $637,141.17. The trade was a 31.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on THG shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $198.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $199.00.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE THG opened at $169.76 on Tuesday. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $147.76 and a 1 year high of $188.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.42. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $180.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $175.77. The company has a market capitalization of $6.04 billion, a PE ratio of 9.82 and a beta of 0.33.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The insurance provider reported $5.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.79 by $1.30. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 9.71% and a return on equity of 21.73%. The business had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.72 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.05 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th were issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. This is an increase from The Hanover Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is 21.98%.

About The Hanover Insurance Group

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.