Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Decreases Stake in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,378 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 500 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group were worth $2,069,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of THG. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 7.8% during the 2nd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 2,280 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $286,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 89.7% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 3,228 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 1,526 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 48.0% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 11,843 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,488,000 after purchasing an additional 3,840 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group in the second quarter worth approximately $4,284,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,673,000. 86.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at The Hanover Insurance Group

In related news, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 6,114 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.36, for a total value of $992,669.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 54,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,782,214.76. This trade represents a 10.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 12,100 shares of company stock valued at $1,951,223. 2.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

THG opened at $153.43 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.22 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a fifty day moving average of $156.92 and a 200 day moving average of $148.41. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $119.66 and a fifty-two week high of $166.13.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.40. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 15.53% and a net margin of 5.92%. The firm had revenue of $1.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.19 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 11.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th were given a dividend of $0.90 per share. This is an increase from The Hanover Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on THG shares. Oppenheimer raised their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $161.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Janney Montgomery Scott cut shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $176.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $170.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Thursday, December 5th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $170.00 target price for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.88.

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.