Wealthquest Corp Buys New Position in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG)

Wealthquest Corp acquired a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 4,998 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $869,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of THG. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $67,928,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group in the first quarter worth approximately $64,340,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 75.7% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 287,356 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $44,443,000 after buying an additional 123,793 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 1,575.5% in the fourth quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 129,848 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $20,082,000 after buying an additional 122,098 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 40.7% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 383,670 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $59,338,000 after buying an additional 110,944 shares in the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Hanover Insurance Group Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:THG traded down $2.94 during trading on Friday, reaching $168.69. 412,993 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 267,355. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.11 and a beta of 0.45. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $130.60 and a 52-week high of $178.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The business's fifty day moving average is $168.21 and its 200-day moving average is $165.12.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The insurance provider reported $4.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.07 by $1.28. The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.60 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 20.24% and a net margin of 8.67%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.88 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 EPS for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 27th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th were issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 13th. The Hanover Insurance Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. JMP Securities set a $205.00 target price on The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen raised The Hanover Insurance Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised The Hanover Insurance Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $188.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Citigroup reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Thursday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $185.13.

Insider Activity at The Hanover Insurance Group

In related news, EVP Bryan J. Salvatore sold 10,526 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.60, for a total transaction of $1,753,631.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 25,864 shares in the company, valued at $4,308,942.40. This represents a 28.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.