AQR Capital Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG)

AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 116.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 114,643 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 61,738 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.32% of The Hanover Insurance Group worth $14,150,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in THG. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 24,326 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,954,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 15,743 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,912,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 462.9% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 23,495 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,853,000 after acquiring an additional 19,321 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado increased its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 1,294.6% during the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 145,089 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $17,617,000 after acquiring an additional 134,685 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 75.4% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 965,374 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $117,217,000 after purchasing an additional 414,993 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

THG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JMP Securities increased their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $142.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $161.00 to $158.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $147.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $157.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 1,200 shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.11, for a total value of $180,132.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 85,983 shares in the company, valued at $12,906,908.13. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Richard W. Lavey sold 8,468 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.01, for a total value of $1,219,476.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 36,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,224,826.81. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 1,200 shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.11, for a total value of $180,132.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 85,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,906,908.13. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,352 shares of company stock worth $1,766,623. Company insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of THG opened at $148.76 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.35 billion, a PE ratio of 33.35 and a beta of 0.70. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $140.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $133.38. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $108.03 and a 1 year high of $150.95.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The insurance provider reported $1.88 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.88. The business had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.49 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 12.42% and a net margin of 4.44%. The company’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($1.91) earnings per share. Analysts forecast that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 10.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.23%.

About The Hanover Insurance Group

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides various property and casualty insurance products and services in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Core Commercial, Specialty, Personal Lines, and Other. The Commercial Lines segment offers commercial multiple peril, commercial automobile, workers' compensation, and other commercial lines coverage.