The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $174.13.

THG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley started coverage on The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $170.00 target price on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $164.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $176.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $161.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.08, for a total value of $1,860,960.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 66,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,249,392.28. This trade represents a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In the last quarter, insiders sold 28,900 shares of company stock worth $4,534,151. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Hanover Insurance Group

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 226.0% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 339 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

THG opened at $152.71 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $157.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $145.74. The company has a market cap of $5.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.15 and a beta of 0.72. The Hanover Insurance Group has a 52-week low of $119.66 and a 52-week high of $166.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.40. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 15.53% and a net margin of 5.92%. The firm had revenue of $1.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.19 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group will post 11.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th were issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. This is an increase from The Hanover Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.36%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is 35.71%.

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.