C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors Makes New Investment in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG)

C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors purchased a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 6,942 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,074,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC boosted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 61.5% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 27,155 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $4,022,000 after acquiring an additional 10,341 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group during the 4th quarter worth about $201,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 104.4% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,967 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,772,000 after acquiring an additional 6,112 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 82.4% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 11,500 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,702,000 after acquiring an additional 5,194 shares during the period. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group during the 4th quarter worth about $1,046,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.61% of the company's stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE THG traded down $1.12 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $162.78. The company's stock had a trading volume of 263,243 shares, compared to its average volume of 215,640. The stock has a market cap of $5.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.92 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a one year low of $119.66 and a one year high of $166.98. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $155.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $151.42.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $5.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.45 by $1.87. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 6.83% and a return on equity of 18.01%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th were issued a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. This is an increase from The Hanover Insurance Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The Hanover Insurance Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

THG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays raised The Hanover Insurance Group to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. JMP Securities raised their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley raised 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $176.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $161.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $175.25.

The Hanover Insurance Group Profile

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.