The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) Receives $173.29 Average PT from Analysts

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

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on THG. Bank of America increased their price target on 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. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $176.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Thursday, December 5th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $170.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JMP Securities increased their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock opened at $156.31 on Monday. 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 business’s 50 day simple moving average is $155.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $141.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.51 and a beta of 0.71. The Hanover Insurance Group has a twelve month low of $119.36 and a twelve month high of $166.13.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $1.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 15.53% and a net margin of 5.92%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.19 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This is a positive change from The Hanover Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.71%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 6,114 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.36, for a total transaction of $992,669.04. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 54,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,782,214.76. This trade represents a 10.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders sold 30,551 shares of company stock worth $4,781,935 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Hanover Insurance Group

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 104.4% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,967 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,772,000 after buying an additional 6,112 shares during the last quarter. Markel Group Inc. increased its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 5.8% during the third quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 254,000 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $37,620,000 after buying an additional 14,000 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 5.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 369,545 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $54,733,000 after purchasing an additional 17,856 shares during the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the second quarter valued at about $681,000. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the second quarter valued at about $431,000. 86.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.