32,589 Shares in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) Bought by New Age Alpha Advisors LLC

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

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,087,786 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $168,237,000 after purchasing an additional 43,918 shares in the last quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 625,527 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $96,744,000 after acquiring an additional 4,168 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 40.7% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 383,670 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $59,338,000 after acquiring 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 valued at approximately $64,340,000. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 5,245 shares during the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

THG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup restated an "outperform" rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley lifted 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 report on Friday, August 1st. JMP Securities set a $205.00 target price on The Hanover Insurance Group in a report 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 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded The Hanover Insurance Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $185.13.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:THG traded up $2.18 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $173.36. The company had a trading volume of 267,415 shares, compared to its average volume of 277,099. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $130.69 and a fifty-two week high of $178.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $168.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $165.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.41 and a beta of 0.45.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) last posted 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 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 Hanover Insurance Group's quarterly revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.88 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 EPS for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 13th. The Hanover Insurance Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.70%.

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.