New Age Alpha Advisors LLC Purchases New Shares in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG)

Key Points

• New Age Alpha Advisors LLC has made a significant investment in The Hanover Insurance Group, acquiring 32,589 shares worth $5.67 million, representing a 0.09% ownership stake in the company.
• Several analysts have upgraded The Hanover Insurance Group's stock ratings, with new price targets set, reflecting a positive outlook and an average target of $185.13.
• The Hanover Insurance Group recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share, which translates to an annualized yield of 2.1% and a payout ratio of 23.70%.

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 32,589 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,669,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC owned about 0.09% of The Hanover Insurance Group as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in THG. LPL Financial LLC raised its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 47.7% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 11,915 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,843,000 after purchasing an additional 3,847 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 72,738 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $11,250,000 after purchasing an additional 3,573 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 15.3% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 5,437 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $841,000 after buying an additional 722 shares during the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 2,886 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $446,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 61.4% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 90,013 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $13,921,000 after buying an additional 34,239 shares during 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 trading on Friday, hitting $169.24. 230,993 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 273,232. The stock has a market cap of $6.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.14 and a beta of 0.45. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $130.69 and a fifty-two week high of $178.68. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $168.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $165.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The insurance provider reported $4.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.88 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th were paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 13th. The Hanover Insurance Group's payout ratio is currently 23.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on THG shares. Morgan Stanley lifted 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. Citigroup reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised The Hanover Insurance Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $188.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Wall Street Zen raised The Hanover Insurance Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, JMP Securities set a $205.00 target price on The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $185.13.

The Hanover Insurance Group Company 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.