Hodges Capital Management Inc. Boosts Stake in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG)

Hodges Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 48.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 76,503 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 25,089 shares during the period. Hodges Capital Management Inc. owned 0.21% of The Hanover Insurance Group worth $11,832,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of THG. Highland Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,669 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $258,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Ibex Wealth Advisors bought a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the 4th quarter worth about $293,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 20,483 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,168,000 after purchasing an additional 543 shares during the period. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 75.1% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,684 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $260,000 after acquiring an additional 722 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 30.2% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,057 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

THG opened at $152.89 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $5.51 billion, a PE ratio of 15.17 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’s 50 day simple moving average is $156.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $149.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

The Hanover Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders 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. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s payout ratio is 35.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on THG shares. JMP Securities upped 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. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $170.00 target price for the company. Barclays raised The Hanover Insurance Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $176.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, The Hanover Insurance Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $174.88.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hanover Insurance Group

In other news, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 6,114 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.36, for a total transaction of $992,669.04. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 54,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,782,214.76. This trade represents a 10.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,100 shares of company stock valued at $1,951,223. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

The Hanover Insurance Group Company 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.