The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) Price Target Lowered to $190.00 at Royal Bank Of Canada

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) had its price target lowered by Royal Bank Of Canada from $200.00 to $190.00 in a research report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a sector perform rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $194.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Four equities 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 target price of $197.00.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock opened at $175.48 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $6.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.66 and a beta of 0.29. The company’s 50 day moving average is $174.28 and its 200 day moving average is $176.95. 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 0.44, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 20th. The insurance provider reported $5.46 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $1.67 billion for 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 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.91%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Richard W. Lavey sold 24,420 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.92, for a total value of $4,369,226.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 32,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,756,572.08. This trade represents a 43.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jane D. Carlin sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.91, for a total transaction of $217,092.00. Following the sale, the director owned 2,423 shares in the company, valued at $438,344.93. The trade was a 33.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of The Hanover Insurance Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 36.1% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,280,418 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $217,505,000 after purchasing an additional 339,896 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 24.9% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 953,781 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $174,322,000 after purchasing an additional 190,350 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 833,179 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $152,285,000 after purchasing an additional 42,412 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 25.4% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 801,375 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $146,467,000 after purchasing an additional 162,111 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 727,958 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $133,073,000 after purchasing an additional 29,870 shares during the period. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.