Channing Capital Management LLC Trims Holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG)

Channing Capital Management LLC decreased its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 75,255 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 976 shares during the quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC’s holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group were worth $11,639,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,484,592 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $219,883,000 after acquiring an additional 143,339 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the fourth quarter worth $8,612,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 40.2% during the third quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 164,130 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $24,309,000 after purchasing an additional 47,071 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group during the fourth quarter valued at $5,276,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group in the fourth quarter valued at $4,903,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

The Hanover Insurance Group stock opened at $163.57 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.99 and a beta of 0.65. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $158.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $154.46. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $119.66 and a 1 year high of $173.30.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $5.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, equities research 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 company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.