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

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $157.80.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on THG shares. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $161.00 to $158.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $147.00 to $162.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $142.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, JMP Securities upped their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

THG opened at $148.76 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.35 and a beta of 0.70. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $140.30 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $133.38. The Hanover Insurance Group has a 52-week low of $108.03 and a 52-week high of $150.95.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The insurance provider reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.88. The business had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.49 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 4.44% and a return on equity of 12.42%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($1.91) EPS. As a group, analysts predict that The Hanover Insurance Group will post 10.99 EPS for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th were issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is 76.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.11, for a total value of $180,132.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 85,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,906,908.13. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other The Hanover Insurance Group news, Director Kathy S. Lane sold 1,884 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.23, for a total transaction of $252,889.32. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.11, for a total transaction of $180,132.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 85,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,906,908.13. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 12,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,766,623. 2.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Hanover Insurance Group

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in THG. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 64.9% during the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 427 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.