MML Investors Services LLC Has $2.34 Million Stock Position in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG)

MML Investors Services LLC increased its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,779 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,353 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC’s holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group were worth $2,337,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hodges Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 56.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,414 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $7,615,000 after purchasing an additional 18,524 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 4.6% in the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 27,321 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,047,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC bought a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $205,000. State Street Corp grew its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,239,701 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $183,612,000 after acquiring an additional 3,780 shares during the period. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP bought a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $204,000. Institutional investors own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

NYSE:THG opened at $154.16 on Monday. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $119.36 and a 52-week high of $166.13. The company has a market cap of $5.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.29 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.40. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $156.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $142.37.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.40. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 5.92% and a return on equity of 15.53%. The business had revenue of $1.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.19 EPS. The Hanover Insurance Group’s revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, 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 company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a $0.90 dividend. This is an increase from The Hanover Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.11, for a total transaction of $180,132.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 85,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,906,908.13. This trade represents a 1.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 30,551 shares of company stock valued at $4,781,935. Insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on THG shares. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $162.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $164.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Janney Montgomery Scott cut shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $176.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley began coverage on The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Thursday, December 5th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $170.00 price target for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $173.29.

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.