The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) Shares Acquired by Markel Group Inc.

Markel Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Free Report) by 5.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 240,000 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 13,000 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc. owned 0.67% of The Hanover Insurance Group worth $30,106,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of THG. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $91,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.61% of the company's stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Up 0.1 %

THG traded up $0.09 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $147.30. 125,559 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 172,703. The firm has a market cap of $5.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.03 and a beta of 0.68. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $103.82 and a 12-month high of $149.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $133.23 and a 200 day moving average of $131.45.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The insurance provider reported $1.88 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.88. The business had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.49 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 12.42% and a net margin of 4.44%. The company's revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($1.91) earnings per share. Analysts predict that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 10.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. The Hanover Insurance Group's payout ratio is presently 76.23%.

Insider Transactions at The Hanover Insurance Group

In related news, Director Kathy S. Lane sold 1,884 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.23, for a total value of $252,889.32. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Richard W. Lavey sold 8,468 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.01, for a total transaction of $1,219,476.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,281 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,224,826.81. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Kathy S. Lane sold 1,884 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.23, for a total value of $252,889.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,852 shares of company stock valued at $1,541,491. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on THG. JMP Securities raised their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $147.00 to $162.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $142.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $161.00 to $158.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Hanover Insurance Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $157.80.

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.