Natixis Advisors LLC Has $16.93 Million Holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

Natixis Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 4.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 92,612 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 4,452 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.26% of The Hanover Insurance Group worth $16,926,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $580,000. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC grew its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 27.4% during the 4th quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 2,504 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $458,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $83,817,000. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 9.9% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 1,058 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $193,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $4,926,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hanover Insurance Group

In related news, EVP Dennis Francis Kerrigan sold 6,262 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.99, for a total value of $1,208,503.38. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 11,988 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,313,564.12. The trade was a 34.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Cynthia Egan sold 3,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.50, for a total value of $640,900.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 9,359 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,764,171.50. The trade was a 26.65% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 29,508 shares of company stock worth $5,704,651 over the last quarter. Insiders own 2.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on THG shares. BMO Capital Markets cut The Hanover Insurance Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $194.00 to $203.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. 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 raised The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Zacks Research raised The Hanover Insurance Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Hanover Insurance Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $207.00.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Up 3.4%

Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock opened at $193.38 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.73 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $160.70 and a 52-week high of $199.59. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $183.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $179.62.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $5.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.14 by $1.11. The business had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.58 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 21.55% and a net margin of 10.77%.The firm’s revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.87 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 18.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, May 13th that permits the company to repurchase $700.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the insurance provider to reacquire up to 10.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 12th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s payout ratio is currently 19.12%.

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.