West Family Investments Inc. Invests $537,000 in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

West Family Investments Inc. bought a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 2,510 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $537,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 19.1% during the first quarter. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 343 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 5.5% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,127 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $195,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 1,880 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $344,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 2,026 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $370,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 12,020 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,183,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

Shares of THG opened at $224.57 on Wednesday. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $166.54 and a 1 year high of $236.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a current ratio of 0.38. The company has a market cap of $7.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.72 and a beta of 0.26. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $222.37 and a 200-day moving average of $198.04.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The insurance provider reported $5.31 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.84 by $1.47. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 11.17% and a return on equity of 21.72%. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.35 earnings per share. The Hanover Insurance Group’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 20.17 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, May 13th that authorizes the company to buyback $700.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the insurance provider to buy up to 10.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s payout ratio is 18.14%.

Insider Activity at The Hanover Insurance Group

In other The Hanover Insurance Group news, EVP Dennis Kerrigan sold 2,104 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.41, for a total value of $467,950.64. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 12,003 shares in the company, valued at $2,669,587.23. This represents a 14.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Jane D. Carlin sold 1,000 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the director directly owned 2,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $525,505. This represents a 30.58% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 9,655 shares of company stock worth $2,145,846. 2.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

THG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citizens Jmp boosted their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (a)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Piper Sandler lowered The Hanover Insurance Group from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $220.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $215.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Citigroup restated an “outperform” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $225.71.

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.