The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) EVP Willard Lee Sells 9,946 Shares of Stock

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) EVP Willard Lee sold 9,946 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.14, for a total value of $2,477,946.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,004 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,495,836.56. This trade represents a 62.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

Shares of THG stock traded down $0.96 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $248.97. The stock had a trading volume of 403,026 shares, compared to its average volume of 319,894. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $227.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $201.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a one year low of $166.54 and a one year high of $256.74. The firm has a market cap of $8.56 billion, a PE ratio of 11.91 and a beta of 0.24.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The insurance provider reported $5.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.62 by $0.53. The business had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.81 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 21.63% and a net margin of 10.97%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $5.09 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 20.80 EPS for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th were given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 11th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.17%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Hanover Insurance Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of THG. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group in the second quarter valued at $756,471,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 16.4% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 970,177 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $168,179,000 after acquiring an additional 136,998 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 3.2% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 827,320 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $143,416,000 after acquiring an additional 25,945 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the second quarter valued at $69,481,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $47,734,000. Institutional investors own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $260.00 price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $220.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Zacks Research raised shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Citizens Jmp upped their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Hanover Insurance Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $235.00.

About The Hanover Insurance Group

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc is a holding company that provides property and casualty insurance products and services through a network of independent agents. Its principal operating subsidiary is The Hanover Insurance Company, which traces its roots to 1852 and is headquartered in Worcester, Massachusetts.

The company offers personal insurance products such as automobile, homeowners, condominium, renters and umbrella coverage. Its commercial insurance business serves small and midsize businesses with products that include commercial property, general liability, commercial automobile, workers’ compensation and other specialized coverages.

The Hanover also provides specialty insurance solutions for select industries and risks, including professional liability, management liability, marine and other niche commercial exposures.