WBI Investments LLC Makes New $3.97 Million Investment in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG)

WBI Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 25,635 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,965,000. The Hanover Insurance Group comprises 1.0% of WBI Investments LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. WBI Investments LLC owned 0.07% of The Hanover Insurance Group at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 7,163 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,092,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank increased its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 10,776 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,658,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Ironwood Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Ironwood Investment Management LLC now owns 9,703 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,501,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 49.5% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 272 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Truist Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 2,025 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $313,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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 transaction of $1,753,631.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 25,864 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,308,942.40. This trade represents a 28.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO John C. Roche sold 301 shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $52,675.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 124,414 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,772,450. This represents a 0.24% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 11,027 shares of company stock valued at $1,841,309 in the last quarter. Insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

THG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays upgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. JMP Securities upped their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $179.50.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:THG traded up $1.51 on Friday, reaching $168.50. 192,420 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 208,971. The company has a fifty day moving average of $165.33 and a 200-day moving average of $161.51. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $119.66 and a twelve month high of $176.16. The company has a market capitalization of $6.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.41 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.55 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.08 EPS. The business's revenue was up 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. The Hanover Insurance Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.98%.

About The Hanover Insurance Group

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.