Ieq Capital LLC Acquires 10,390 Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG)

Ieq Capital LLC raised its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 443.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,731 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 10,390 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC’s holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group were worth $1,969,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 49.5% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 272 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 502.1% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 283 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 226.0% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 339 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

NYSE:THG opened at $156.84 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $156.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $152.13. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $119.66 and a 52 week high of $166.98. The stock has a market cap of $5.65 billion, a PE ratio of 13.42 and a beta of 0.72. 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) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $5.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.45 by $1.87. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 18.01% and a net margin of 6.83%. As a group, analysts forecast that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th were given a dividend of $0.90 per share. This is a positive change from The Hanover Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on THG shares. JMP Securities boosted their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays upgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $176.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $161.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $175.25.

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.