The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) Shares Sold by Sit Investment Associates Inc.

Sit Investment Associates Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 7.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,900 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 925 shares during the period. Sit Investment Associates Inc.’s holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group were worth $1,840,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 23,642 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,656,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares during the last quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the 4th quarter valued at $1,019,000. Pitcairn Co. raised its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 3,623 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $560,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Bryce Point Capital LLC purchased a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group in the fourth quarter valued at $1,207,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,489,391 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $230,349,000 after acquiring an additional 4,799 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO John C. Roche sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.01, for a total value of $35,002.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 124,278 shares in the company, valued at $21,749,892.78. This trade represents a 0.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Trading Down 8.6 %

Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock opened at $157.82 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $5.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.50 and a beta of 0.47. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $119.66 and a 52-week high of $176.16. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $165.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $158.07. 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 released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $5.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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, equities research analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on THG shares. Morgan Stanley boosted 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. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of 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. Barclays upgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $176.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $179.00.

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.