First Hawaiian Bank Reduces Position in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG)

First Hawaiian Bank reduced its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Free Report) by 56.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,450 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 4,413 shares during the quarter. First Hawaiian Bank's holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group were worth $534,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 226.0% in the 4th 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 period. 86.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

NYSE:THG traded down $5.10 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $147.33. 207,745 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 187,124. The company has a market cap of $5.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.62 and a beta of 0.72. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $119.66 and a 1 year high of $166.13. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $157.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $146.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.40. The company had revenue of $1.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.67 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 5.92% and a return on equity of 15.53%. The Hanover Insurance Group's revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.19 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 11.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. This is a boost from The Hanover Insurance Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. The Hanover Insurance Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 6,114 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.36, for a total value of $992,669.04. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 54,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,782,214.76. The trade was a 10.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders have sold 28,900 shares of company stock valued at $4,534,151. Corporate insiders own 2.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on THG shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $170.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday. Oppenheimer raised their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $170.00 price target for the company. JMP Securities increased their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $161.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $174.88.

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.