Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Boosts Stake in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its position in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Free Report) by 114.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,498 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,405 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV's holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group were worth $696,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in THG. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group in the third quarter valued at $30,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 91.9% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 213 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 226.0% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 339 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at The Hanover Insurance Group

In other news, EVP Bryan J. Salvatore sold 10,526 shares of the business'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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 25,864 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,308,942.40. The trade was a 28.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO John C. Roche sold 301 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $52,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 124,414 shares in the company, valued at $21,772,450. This trade represents a 0.24% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 11,027 shares of company stock valued at $1,841,309 in the last 90 days. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on THG shares. StockNews.com raised shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays raised shares of The Hanover Insurance Group to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. JMP Securities raised their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $179.50.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:THG traded down $1.05 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $166.52. 175,454 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 207,215. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a one year low of $119.66 and a one year high of $176.16. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $165.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $160.58. The company has a market cap of $5.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.24 and a beta of 0.44. 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 (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.58 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.55 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 18.01% and a net margin of 6.83%. The company's revenue was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.08 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 EPS for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.16%. The Hanover Insurance Group's payout ratio is 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.