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

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has acquired a total of 2,504 shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, valued at approximately $436,000, marking an increase in institutional investment in the company.
• Research firms have positively upgraded their ratings for The Hanover Insurance Group, with Morgan Stanley raising the price target from $170 to $185 and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgrading their rating from "market perform" to "outperform."
• The Hanover Insurance Group reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $4.35, significantly beating the consensus estimate of $3.07, along with a year-over-year revenue increase of 3.1% despite slightly missing revenue expectations.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 2,504 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $436,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,087,786 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $168,237,000 after acquiring an additional 43,918 shares during the last quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 625,527 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $96,744,000 after purchasing an additional 4,168 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 40.7% during 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. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the first quarter worth approximately $64,340,000. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 324,761 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $50,228,000 after buying an additional 5,245 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.61% of the company's stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE THG traded down $0.34 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $169.24. The company had a trading volume of 230,993 shares, compared to its average volume of 273,232. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $168.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $165.67. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $130.69 and a 12-month high of $178.68. The company has a market capitalization of $6.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.14 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.37.

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

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 27th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th were paid a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 13th. The Hanover Insurance Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on THG. JMP Securities set a $205.00 price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target 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, August 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded The Hanover Insurance Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $188.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Citigroup reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $185.13.

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.