Franklin Resources Inc. Has $188.36 Million Holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG)

Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 28.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,217,919 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 270,491 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group were worth $188,363,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 860,260 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $133,048,000 after purchasing an additional 19,956 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 61.4% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 90,013 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $13,921,000 after buying an additional 34,239 shares in the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 2,886 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $446,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 7,163 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,092,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 158,828 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $24,564,000 after acquiring an additional 5,949 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

Shares of THG opened at $175.27 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $164.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $157.66. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $119.66 and a 12-month high of $176.16. The stock has a market cap of $6.30 billion, a PE ratio of 14.99 and a beta of 0.65. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $5.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. Analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.05%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is 30.80%.

Insider Activity at The Hanover Insurance Group

In related news, CEO John C. Roche sold 301 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $52,675.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 124,414 shares in the company, valued at $21,772,450. This represents a 0.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on THG. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target 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. Piper Sandler raised their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $176.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $179.00.

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.