The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $174.13.

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $158.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $164.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $170.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $161.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hanover Insurance Group

In other The Hanover Insurance Group news, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 4,800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.41, for a total value of $721,968.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 80,790 shares in the company, valued at $12,151,623.90. This trade represents a 5.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 29,051 shares of company stock worth $4,556,803 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 6.2% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 62,275 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $9,633,000 after buying an additional 3,615 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 226.0% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 339 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC grew its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 344.5% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 7,254 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,074,000 after purchasing an additional 5,622 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 35.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 4,013 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $656,000 after purchasing an additional 1,040 shares in the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

Shares of THG stock opened at $152.71 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.50 billion, a PE ratio of 15.15 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $157.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $145.69. 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 announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $1.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 5.92% and a return on equity of 15.53%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.19 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Hanover Insurance Group will post 11.41 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Increases Dividend

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