Mercury General Corporation (NYSE:MCY) Shares Acquired by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in Mercury General Corporation (NYSE:MCY - Free Report) by 62.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,348 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,118 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Mercury General were worth $746,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Mercury General by 68.9% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,944 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 793 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Mercury General by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 128,991 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $8,575,000 after buying an additional 3,579 shares during the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mercury General in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,159,000. Olympiad Research LP purchased a new position in Mercury General in the 4th quarter valued at $323,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Mercury General by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 302,660 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $20,121,000 after acquiring an additional 14,328 shares during the period. 42.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mercury General Price Performance

Shares of MCY traded up $1.33 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $65.41. The company's stock had a trading volume of 305,005 shares, compared to its average volume of 414,616. The company has a current ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Mercury General Corporation has a 1-year low of $44.19 and a 1-year high of $80.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.68 and a beta of 0.96. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.05.

Mercury General (NYSE:MCY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported ($2.29) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($4.00) by $1.71. Mercury General had a return on equity of 12.52% and a net margin of 5.11%. The company had revenue of $1.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.36 billion. Analysts predict that Mercury General Corporation will post -0.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mercury General Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.3175 per share. This represents a $1.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 12th. Mercury General's dividend payout ratio is currently 24.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Mercury General from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th.

About Mercury General

Mercury General Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in writing personal automobile insurance in the United States. The company also writes homeowners, commercial automobile, commercial property, mechanical protection, and umbrella insurance products. Its automobile insurance products include collision, property damage, bodily injury, comprehensive, personal injury protection, underinsured and uninsured motorist, and other hazards; and homeowners insurance products comprise dwelling, liability, personal property, and other coverages.