Hsbc Holdings PLC Sells 7,414 Shares of Employers Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EIG)

Hsbc Holdings PLC lowered its stake in shares of Employers Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EIG - Free Report) by 57.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,429 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 7,414 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC's holdings in Employers were worth $278,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EIG. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Employers by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 15,177 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $778,000 after purchasing an additional 1,191 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Employers in the 4th quarter worth approximately $230,000. Mariner LLC lifted its stake in Employers by 18.4% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 11,208 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $574,000 after acquiring an additional 1,743 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Employers by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 43,459 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,227,000 after purchasing an additional 1,958 shares during the period. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Employers by 8.0% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 9,635 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $494,000 after buying an additional 710 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.49% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Employers

In related news, Director James R. Kroner sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.90, for a total transaction of $101,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 25,458 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,295,812.20. This trade represents a 7.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael Pedraja acquired 3,050 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $48.59 per share, with a total value of $148,199.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,330 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $356,164.70. The trade was a 71.26% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 5,385 shares of company stock worth $276,267 in the last quarter. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Employers Trading Up 1.4%

NYSE EIG traded up $0.70 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $48.77. The company had a trading volume of 34,888 shares, compared to its average volume of 137,603. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.36 and a beta of 0.56. Employers Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $40.57 and a 1-year high of $54.44. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $48.94 and a 200 day moving average of $50.08.

Employers (NYSE:EIG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.18. Employers had a return on equity of 8.99% and a net margin of 13.47%. The firm had revenue of $202.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $216.81 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.67 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Employers Holdings, Inc. will post 3.63 EPS for the current year.

Employers Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.62%. This is a boost from Employers's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Employers's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.07%.

About Employers

Employers Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates in the commercial property and casualty insurance industry primarily in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Employers and Cerity. It offers workers' compensation insurance to small businesses in low to medium hazard industries under the Employers and Cerity brands.