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

Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $174.13.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $176.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America boosted their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $158.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $161.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $162.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Thursday, December 5th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $170.00 price target on the stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of THG opened at $152.44 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.49 billion, a PE ratio of 15.12 and a beta of 0.71. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $157.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $144.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The Hanover Insurance Group has a 12 month low of $119.66 and a 12 month high of $166.13.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.19 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group will post 11.41 EPS for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th were issued a $0.90 dividend. This is a boost from The Hanover Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hanover Insurance Group

In related news, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.08, for a total transaction of $1,860,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 66,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,249,392.28. This represents a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 29,051 shares of company stock worth $4,556,803. 2.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Hanover Insurance Group

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 64.9% in the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 427 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Hanover Insurance Group Company Profile

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.