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

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eight analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $199.00.

THG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $198.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th.

The Hanover Insurance Group Trading Up 0.5%

THG stock opened at $174.05 on Tuesday. The Hanover Insurance Group has a twelve month low of $145.52 and a twelve month high of $188.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.07 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $181.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $175.66.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The insurance provider reported $5.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.79 by $1.30. The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.72 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 9.71% and a return on equity of 21.73%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.05 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group will post 14.37 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 26th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th were paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. This is an increase from The Hanover Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is 21.98%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Hanover Insurance Group news, EVP Denise Lowsley sold 1,619 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $181.47, for a total transaction of $293,799.93. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,511 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $637,141.17. This trade represents a 31.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Hanover Insurance Group

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in THG. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 3.3% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 75,356 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $12,801,000 after buying an additional 2,387 shares in the last quarter. Aviva PLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $475,000. Boston Partners increased its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 141.4% in the second quarter. Boston Partners now owns 34,882 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $5,925,000 after purchasing an additional 20,432 shares during the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. grew its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 252.3% in the 2nd quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 5,140 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $873,000 after buying an additional 3,681 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 114,356 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $19,426,000 after acquiring an additional 1,724 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

About The Hanover Insurance Group

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc (NYSE: THG) is a property and casualty insurance company that provides a range of commercial and personal insurance products. Through its subsidiary companies, Hanover offers coverage for businesses of all sizes, including workers’ compensation, general liability, commercial auto, and professional liability. On the personal lines side, the company underwrites homeowners, personal auto, flood, and umbrella policies designed to meet the needs of individuals and families.

In addition to its core commercial and personal insurance offerings, Hanover maintains a specialty arm that focuses on niche markets through tailored product solutions.