Heartland Advisors Inc. Sells 5,273 Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

Heartland Advisors Inc. decreased its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 11.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 42,876 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 5,273 shares during the quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. owned about 0.12% of The Hanover Insurance Group worth $7,788,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Buckhead Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 2.2% during the third quarter. Buckhead Capital Management LLC now owns 3,435 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $624,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 56.6% during the 2nd quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 224 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 3.0% in the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,944 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $535,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.8% in the second quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 12,320 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,093,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System increased its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 1.1% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,629 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,931,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Up 0.1%

The Hanover Insurance Group stock opened at $171.60 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $177.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $176.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The stock has a market cap of $6.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.44 and a beta of 0.32. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $147.76 and a twelve month high of $188.18.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The insurance provider reported $5.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.20 by $0.59. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 21.00% and a net margin of 10.05%.The company had revenue of $1.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.32 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 EPS 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 represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. This is an increase from The Hanover Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The Hanover Insurance Group’s payout ratio is presently 20.91%.

Insider Activity at The Hanover Insurance Group

In related news, EVP Richard W. Lavey sold 24,420 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.92, for a total transaction of $4,369,226.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 32,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,756,572.08. This represents a 43.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. 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 objective for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $200.00 to $207.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, The Hanover Insurance Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $200.40.

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.