FJ Capital Management LLC Sells 14,886 Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

Key Points

• FJ Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 66.5%, selling 14,886 shares and now holds 7,491 shares valued at approximately $1.3 million.
• Several institutional investors have made changes to their positions, with HM Payson & Co. increasing its holdings by 6.7%, now owning 1,063 shares worth about $185,000.
• Analysts have set a consensus price target for The Hanover Insurance Group at $185.13, with multiple ratings emphasizing a positive outlook for the stock.

FJ Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Free Report) by 66.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,491 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 14,886 shares during the period. FJ Capital Management LLC's holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group were worth $1,303,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. HM Payson & Co. increased its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 6.7% in the first quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 1,063 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $185,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 1,811 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $315,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Intrust Bank NA increased its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 4,886 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $850,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System lifted its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 8,632 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,502,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 1.0% during the first quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 10,100 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,757,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.61% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on THG. Citigroup reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded 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. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, JMP Securities set a $205.00 price target on The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $185.13.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:THG opened at $173.47 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $139.37 and a twelve month high of $178.68. The stock's 50 day moving average is $168.34 and its 200-day moving average is $167.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.42 and a beta of 0.46.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The insurance provider reported $4.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.07 by $1.28. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 20.24% and a net margin of 8.67%.The company had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.60 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.88 earnings per share. The Hanover Insurance Group's revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

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