Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Buys Shares of 97,874 The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG)

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 97,874 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $15,137,000. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC owned 0.27% of The Hanover Insurance Group at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 91.9% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 213 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC grew its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 502.1% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 283 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 226.0% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 339 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

THG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Piper Sandler raised their target price 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. JMP Securities lifted 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. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, The Hanover Insurance Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $179.50.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

Shares of THG stock traded up $2.50 on Friday, hitting $168.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 158,600 shares, compared to its average volume of 208,256. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.40. The stock's 50 day moving average is $165.31 and its 200-day moving average is $160.92. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $119.66 and a fifty-two week high of $176.16. The company has a market capitalization of $6.05 billion, a PE ratio of 14.41 and a beta of 0.44.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.55 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.08 earnings per share. The Hanover Insurance Group's revenue was up 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research 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 was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. The Hanover Insurance Group's payout ratio is currently 29.98%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Bryan J. Salvatore sold 10,526 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 25,864 shares in the company, valued at $4,308,942.40. This trade represents a 28.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO John C. Roche sold 301 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $52,675.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 124,414 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,772,450. This trade represents a 0.24% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 11,027 shares of company stock worth $1,841,309. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

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.