Hennessy Advisors Inc. Has $8.21 Million Position in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

Hennessy Advisors Inc. lessened its position in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 6.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 44,900 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 3,000 shares during the quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc.’s holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group were worth $8,206,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.6% in the third 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. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC increased its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 1,294 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $234,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. AMG National Trust Bank increased its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.7% in the third quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 10,832 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,967,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Somerset Trust Co increased its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 1,361 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $249,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $194.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Wall Street Zen cut The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, The Hanover Insurance Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $197.00.

The Hanover Insurance Group Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE THG opened at $182.06 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $174.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $177.00. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a one year low of $155.93 and a one year high of $188.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.02 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.44 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 20th. The insurance provider reported $5.46 EPS for the quarter. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 21.00% and a net margin of 10.05%.The business had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter. Research analysts expect that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.91%.

Insider Activity at The Hanover Insurance Group

In related news, Director Jane D. Carlin sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.91, for a total transaction of $217,092.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,423 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $438,344.93. This trade represents a 33.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 value of $4,369,226.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 32,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,756,572.08. The trade was a 43.15% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 2.80% of the company’s stock.

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.