The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seven brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $173.29.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on THG shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Thursday. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $170.00 price objective on the stock. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $164.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Bank of America upped their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $158.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott cut 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.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Down 2.0 %

The Hanover Insurance Group stock opened at $160.92 on Monday. The Hanover Insurance Group has a 12-month low of $119.36 and a 12-month 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 company has a market capitalization of $5.80 billion, a PE ratio of 15.96 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $155.29 and its 200 day moving average is $141.51.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $1.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.19 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Hanover Insurance Group will post 11.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.24%. This is a boost from The Hanover Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.73%.

Insider Transactions at The Hanover Insurance Group

In other The Hanover Insurance Group news, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $45,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 89,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,459,950. The trade was a 0.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have sold 30,551 shares of company stock valued at $4,781,935 in the last quarter. Insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Hanover Insurance Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cetera Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $208,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 4,871 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $611,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 20.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,931 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $619,000 after purchasing an additional 823 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 41.4% during the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 5,271 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $661,000 after buying an additional 1,544 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC raised its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 24.5% in the 2nd quarter. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC now owns 12,165 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,526,000 after buying an additional 2,390 shares during the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.