United Services Automobile Association Takes $406,000 Position in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG

Key Points

• United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group, purchasing 2,352 shares valued at approximately $406,000 in the first quarter.
• The Hanover Insurance Group reported a Q2 earnings per share of $4.35, exceeding the consensus estimate of $3.07, with revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share, with a payout ratio of 23.70%, set to be paid on September 26th.

United Services Automobile Association acquired a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 2,352 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $406,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of THG. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group in the first quarter worth $64,340,000. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 45.1% in the first quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 907,760 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $157,905,000 after purchasing an additional 282,233 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 59.3% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 457,809 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $79,032,000 after purchasing an additional 170,453 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 1,575.5% in the fourth quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 129,848 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $20,082,000 after purchasing an additional 122,098 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 25,505.0% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 86,801 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $150,990,000 after purchasing an additional 86,462 shares during the period. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

THG stock traded up $0.97 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $175.62. The company had a trading volume of 22,040 shares, compared to its average volume of 242,685. The firm has a market cap of $6.28 billion, a PE ratio of 11.59 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.37. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $142.48 and a 12 month high of $182.64. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $171.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $168.52.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business 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 company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.88 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 12th will be given a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 12th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The Hanover Insurance Group's payout ratio is currently 23.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

THG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. JMP Securities set a $205.00 price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Citigroup reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $188.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, The Hanover Insurance Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.