The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) Shares Sold by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. reduced its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Free Report) by 12.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,256,235 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 170,837 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 3.51% of The Hanover Insurance Group worth $152,532,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Comerica Bank increased its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 321.8% in the third quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 51,519 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $5,718,000 after purchasing an additional 39,306 shares during the last quarter. Buckhead Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 48.5% in the fourth quarter. Buckhead Capital Management LLC now owns 15,440 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,875,000 after acquiring an additional 5,045 shares in the last quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA grew its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA now owns 126,866 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $15,404,000 after acquiring an additional 14,686 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 28.8% in the third quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 29,392 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $3,290,000 after acquiring an additional 6,579 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 547.8% in the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 13,500 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,498,000 after acquiring an additional 11,416 shares in the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

The Hanover Insurance Group Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of THG stock traded down $0.78 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $133.12. 102,433 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 160,946. The firm has a market cap of $4.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.85 and a beta of 0.67. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $103.82 and a fifty-two week high of $138.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.39. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $131.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $128.14.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The insurance provider reported $3.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.66 by $0.47. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 2.67% and a return on equity of 7.00%. The business had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.56 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 10.67 EPS for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. The Hanover Insurance Group's payout ratio is currently 76.23%.

Insider Activity at The Hanover Insurance Group

In other The Hanover Insurance Group news, EVP Willard T. Lee sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.94, for a total transaction of $135,940.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $597,864.12. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $137.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Monday, April 15th. TheStreet raised shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a "c+" rating to a "b-" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $147.00 target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Monday, April 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $146.00.

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.