Man Group plc Invests $1.75 Million in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

Man Group plc bought a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THGFree Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 8,173 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,750,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the second quarter worth about $756,471,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 36.1% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,280,418 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $217,505,000 after acquiring an additional 339,896 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 16.4% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 24.9% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 953,781 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $174,322,000 after acquiring an additional 190,350 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 827,320 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $143,416,000 after acquiring an additional 25,945 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other The Hanover Insurance Group news, Director Jane D. Carlin sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $231.50, for a total transaction of $231,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,270 shares in the company, valued at approximately $525,505. This represents a 30.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dennis Francis Kerrigan sold 2,104 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.41, for a total transaction of $467,950.64. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 12,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,669,587.23. The trade was a 14.91% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 9,655 shares of company stock valued at $2,145,846 over the last quarter. 2.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

THG stock opened at $225.95 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $220.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $196.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $166.54 and a 12-month high of $236.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.87 billion, a PE ratio of 10.79 and a beta of 0.26.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THGGet Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The insurance provider reported $5.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.84 by $1.47. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 21.72% and a net margin of 11.17%.The business had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.35 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 20.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, May 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $700.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the insurance provider to buy up to 10.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on THG shares. BMO Capital Markets cut The Hanover Insurance Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $194.00 to $203.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $220.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Friday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Two 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $225.71.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on The Hanover Insurance Group

About The Hanover Insurance Group

(Free Report)

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.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG)

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