The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) Shares Sold by Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC

Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC lessened its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Free Report) by 2.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 84,138 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 2,114 shares during the quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC owned 0.23% of The Hanover Insurance Group worth $13,013,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $67,928,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 28.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,217,919 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $188,363,000 after buying an additional 270,491 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the fourth quarter valued at $21,797,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 958,858 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $148,297,000 after purchasing an additional 130,054 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 75.7% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 287,356 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $44,443,000 after buying an additional 123,793 shares during the period. 86.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. JMP Securities upped their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. StockNews.com upgraded The Hanover Insurance Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $163.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $179.50.

Insider Activity at The Hanover Insurance Group

In related news, EVP Bryan J. Salvatore sold 10,526 shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.60, for a total value of $1,753,631.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 25,864 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,308,942.40. The trade was a 28.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO John C. Roche sold 200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.01, for a total transaction of $35,002.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 124,278 shares in the company, valued at $21,749,892.78. This represents a 0.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 11,027 shares of company stock valued at $1,841,309. Insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of THG traded down $2.38 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $166.87. 155,896 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 208,402. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $165.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $161.21. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $119.66 and a 12-month high of $176.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market cap of $5.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.27 and a beta of 0.44.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.58 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.55 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 6.83% and a return on equity of 18.01%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.08 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. The Hanover Insurance Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.98%.

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.