Markel Group Inc. Raises Stock Position in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG)

Markel Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 5.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 267,000 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,000 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc. owned 0.74% of The Hanover Insurance Group worth $41,294,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 15.7% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 9,031 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,397,000 after purchasing an additional 1,226 shares during the last quarter. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 8,192 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,249,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank boosted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 10,776 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,658,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $8,612,000. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,443 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,615,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

The Hanover Insurance Group stock opened at $163.57 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $119.66 and a 1-year high of $173.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.99 and a beta of 0.65. The company’s 50-day moving average is $158.54 and its 200 day moving average is $154.46.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $5.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Research analysts forecast that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 EPS for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on THG. Barclays raised shares of The Hanover Insurance Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of 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. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $161.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $176.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $176.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $175.25.

The Hanover Insurance Group 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.