The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) Increases Dividend to $0.95 Per Share

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of 0.95 per share by the insurance provider on Friday, December 26th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This is a 5.6% increase from The Hanover Insurance Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.90.

The Hanover Insurance Group has decreased its dividend by an average of 0.2%annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 20 years. The Hanover Insurance Group has a dividend payout ratio of 22.3% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect The Hanover Insurance Group to earn $15.75 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.60 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 22.9%.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

NYSE:THG traded up $0.40 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $185.95. The stock had a trading volume of 292,590 shares, compared to its average volume of 239,667. The Hanover Insurance Group has a 12 month low of $145.17 and a 12 month high of $188.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.62 billion, a PE ratio of 10.75 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $178.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $173.15.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The insurance provider reported $5.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.79 by $1.30. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 22.43% and a net margin of 9.71%.The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.05 EPS. The company's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group will post 14.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hanover Insurance Group

In related news, EVP Denise Lowsley sold 1,619 shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.47, for a total value of $293,799.93. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,511 shares in the company, valued at $637,141.17. The trade was a 31.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Hanover Insurance Group

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in THG. Private Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $219,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $435,000. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 62.7% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 6,692 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,164,000 after purchasing an additional 2,578 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 12.1% during the first quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 10,128 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,762,000 after purchasing an additional 1,097 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 9.5% during the first quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 13,047 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,270,000 after buying an additional 1,132 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.61% of the company's stock.

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.

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