The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. $THG Stock Holdings Boosted by Voya Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• Voya Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 94.2%, acquiring an additional 28,959 shares in the first quarter, bringing its total to 59,699 shares valued at approximately $10.4 million.
• Several other institutional investors also increased their stakes, with 86.61% of the company's stock now owned by hedge funds and other institutions.
• The Hanover Insurance Group announced a quarterly dividend of $0.90 to be paid on September 26th, representing a 2.1% yield and a payout ratio of 23.70%.

Voya Investment Management LLC raised its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Free Report) by 94.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 59,699 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 28,959 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC owned 0.17% of The Hanover Insurance Group worth $10,385,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,307,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 149.0% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 67,255 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $11,695,000 after buying an additional 40,245 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 119.4% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 566 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd boosted its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 881.5% in the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 3,926 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $683,000 after buying an additional 3,526 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 6.4% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 129,031 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $22,445,000 after buying an additional 7,712 shares in the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on THG shares. JMP Securities set a $205.00 price target on The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley boosted 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. Citigroup reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded The Hanover Insurance Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $188.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $185.13.

The Hanover Insurance Group Trading Down 0.3%

THG stock traded down $0.61 during trading on Friday, reaching $174.95. 795,527 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 196,452. The business's 50 day moving average price is $171.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $168.62. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $142.48 and a 52-week high of $182.64. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $6.26 billion, a PE ratio of 11.52 and a beta of 0.46.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The insurance provider reported $4.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.07 by $1.28. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 20.24% and a net margin of 8.67%.The company had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.60 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.88 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 12th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The Hanover Insurance Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.