The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) Shares Up 0.7% – Should You Buy?

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG)’s stock price traded up 0.7% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $155.51 and last traded at $155.21. 34,180 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 174,859 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.16.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

THG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Oppenheimer lifted 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. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $162.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley began coverage on The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $170.00 price target for the company. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $176.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $158.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $173.29.

The Hanover Insurance Group Trading Down 1.3 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.40. The company has a market cap of $5.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.89 and a beta of 0.71. The company’s fifty day moving average is $156.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $142.69.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.40. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 5.92% and a return on equity of 15.53%. The firm had revenue of $1.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.19 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 11.41 EPS for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $0.90 dividend. This is an increase from The Hanover Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.40%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 6,114 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.36, for a total value of $992,669.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 54,091 shares in the company, valued at $8,782,214.76. The trade was a 10.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 30,251 shares of company stock valued at $4,736,935 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in THG. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 14,711.0% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 552,450 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $81,823,000 after acquiring an additional 548,720 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 10.7% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,484,592 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $219,883,000 after purchasing an additional 143,339 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $14,684,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 116.7% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 114,643 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $14,150,000 after buying an additional 61,738 shares during the period. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $4,284,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

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.