Principal Securities Inc. Increases Stock Position in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG)

Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 15.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,315 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group were worth $203,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 502.1% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 283 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 226.0% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 339 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group in the 3rd quarter worth $60,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE THG opened at $158.88 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.72 billion, a PE ratio of 13.59 and a beta of 0.72. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $119.66 and a twelve month high of $166.98. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $156.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $152.32.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $5.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.45 by $1.87. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 6.83% and a return on equity of 18.01%. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.27%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on THG shares. JMP Securities upped their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays upgraded The Hanover Insurance Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $162.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Hanover Insurance Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $175.25.

The Hanover Insurance Group Profile

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.