Nordea Investment Management AB Raises Position in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 64,569 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,068 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB owned 0.18% of The Hanover Insurance Group worth $11,644,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of THG. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 36.1% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,280,418 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $217,505,000 after buying an additional 339,896 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. grew its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 52.9% during the 2nd quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 558,000 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $94,787,000 after acquiring an additional 193,000 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 21.0% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 553,815 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $93,190,000 after acquiring an additional 96,006 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 550,962 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $93,592,000 after acquiring an additional 5,145 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 20.2% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 497,429 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $84,498,000 after purchasing an additional 83,488 shares in 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, EVP Denise Lowsley sold 1,619 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $637,141.17. This represents a 31.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE THG opened at $169.91 on Friday. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $147.76 and a 52-week high of $188.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $181.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $175.58.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.72 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 21.73% and a net margin of 9.71%.The Hanover Insurance Group’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.05 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Increases Dividend

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

The Hanover Insurance Group 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.