The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) Given New $208.00 Price Target at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) had its target price raised by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $207.00 to $208.00 in a report issued on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods currently has an outperform rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $200.60.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock opened at $175.89 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $6.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.68 and a beta of 0.32. The company’s 50 day moving average is $175.94 and its 200 day moving average is $177.01. The Hanover Insurance Group has a twelve month low of $147.76 and a twelve month high of $188.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 20th. The insurance provider reported $5.46 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 10.05% and a return on equity of 21.00%. Research analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group will post 14.37 EPS for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s payout ratio is currently 20.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hanover Insurance Group

In other news, EVP Richard W. Lavey sold 24,420 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.92, for a total value of $4,369,226.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 32,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,756,572.08. This represents a 43.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AlphaQuest LLC raised its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 563.1% during the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 13,296 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,415,000 after purchasing an additional 11,291 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 213,676 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $38,810,000 after purchasing an additional 11,415 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC increased its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 84.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 22,670 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,118,000 after purchasing an additional 10,375 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 75,356 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $12,801,000 after purchasing an additional 2,387 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aviva PLC purchased a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $475,000. Institutional investors 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.