Short Interest in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) Expands By 52.0%

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 549,800 shares, an increase of 52.0% from the February 28th total of 361,600 shares. Approximately 1.6% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 229,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.4 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on THG shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on 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. Barclays raised The Hanover Insurance Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $161.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $175.25.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Hanover Insurance Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted 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 purchasing an additional 34,239 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 31.4% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,351 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,292,000 after buying an additional 1,996 shares in the last quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC grew its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 46.5% in the 4th quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 11,972 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,852,000 after acquiring an additional 3,800 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 29.6% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 7,539 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,166,000 after acquiring an additional 1,722 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group during the fourth quarter worth about $272,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

NYSE:THG traded down $2.06 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $172.55. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 217,705 shares, compared to its average volume of 192,282. The company has a market capitalization of $6.20 billion, a PE ratio of 14.76 and a beta of 0.65. The Hanover Insurance Group has a 52-week low of $119.66 and a 52-week high of $176.00. The business’s 50-day moving average is $163.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $157.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.40.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group will post 14.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.80%.

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.