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

Congress Asset Management Co. trimmed its position in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Free Report) by 4.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 44,212 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 1,879 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. owned approximately 0.12% of The Hanover Insurance Group worth $7,691,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,613,952 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $558,934,000 after purchasing an additional 23,565 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,489,391 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $230,349,000 after purchasing an additional 4,799 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 28.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,217,919 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $188,363,000 after purchasing an additional 270,491 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 4.2% in 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 during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 958,858 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $148,297,000 after purchasing an additional 130,054 shares during the period. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:THG opened at $175.29 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average is $165.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $162.36. 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 Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $119.66 and a 12-month high of $178.68. The company has a market cap of $6.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.99 and a beta of 0.45.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.58 by $0.29. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 6.83% and a return on equity of 18.01%. The company had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.55 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.08 EPS. The company's revenue was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect 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 business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. The Hanover Insurance Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on THG shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. JMP Securities upped their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen raised The Hanover Insurance Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $163.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $179.50.

The Hanover Insurance Group 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.

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