SOURCE: Mercer Insurance Group, Inc.
April 16, 2008 16:10 ET
Mercer Insurance Group, Inc. Announces Increased Dividend and Authorization to Repurchase Up to 5% of Outstanding Common Stock
PENNINGTON, NJ--(Marketwire - April 16, 2008) - Mercer Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: MIGP)
today announced that its board of directors has increased the quarterly
dividend from $0.05 per common share to $0.075 per common share, and also
authorized the Company to repurchase up to 5% of its outstanding common
stock. A dividend of $0.075 per share of common stock will be paid on June
27, 2008 to shareholders of record on June 11, 2008.
The authorized repurchases will be funded with available cash and made from
time to time in either the open market or through privately negotiated
transactions. The timing, volume and nature of share repurchases will be
at the sole discretion of management, dependent on market conditions, other
priorities for cash investment, applicable securities laws, and other
factors, and may be suspended or discontinued at any time. All or part of
the repurchases may be implemented under a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, which
would allow repurchases under pre-set terms at times when the Company might
otherwise be prevented from doing so under insider trading laws or because
of self-imposed blackout periods. The program will continue until 5% of the
outstanding shares are repurchased. The repurchased shares will be held as
treasury shares available for issuance in connection with Mercer Insurance
Group's 2004 Stock Incentive Plan.
Mercer Insurance Group, Inc. (the Company) offers commercial and personal
lines of insurance to businesses and individuals principally in six states
through its insurance subsidiaries: Mercer Insurance Company, Mercer
Insurance Company of New Jersey, Inc., Financial Pacific Insurance Company
and Franklin Insurance Company. For additional information on Mercer
Insurance Group and its insurance companies, please see our Internet web
site at www.mercerins.com.
Certain of the statements contained herein (other than statements of
historical facts) are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking
statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and include estimates and
assumptions related to economic, competitive and legislative developments.
These forward-looking statements are subject to change and uncertainty that
are, in many instances, beyond the Company's control and have been made
based upon management's expectations and beliefs concerning future
developments and their potential effect on Mercer Insurance Group, Inc.
For a list of factors which could affect the Company's results, see the
Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including
"Item 1A. Risk Factors," set forth in the Company's Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007. There can be no
assurance that future developments will be in accordance with management's
expectations so that the effect of future developments on Mercer Insurance
Group, Inc. will be those anticipated by management.