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

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

THG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JMP Securities lifted their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $147.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $161.00 to $158.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $142.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Hanover Insurance Group news, Director Kathy S. Lane sold 1,884 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.23, for a total transaction of $252,889.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Warren E. Barnes sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.25, for a total transaction of $69,125.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,013 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $416,547.25. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Kathy S. Lane sold 1,884 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.23, for a total value of $252,889.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 12,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,766,623. Insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Hanover Insurance Group

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of THG. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the first quarter worth $31,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings 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 worth $54,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

NYSE:THG opened at $148.81 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $139.21 and a 200 day moving average of $132.90. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $5.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.37 and a beta of 0.70. 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 announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The insurance provider reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.88. The company had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.49 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 12.42% and a net margin of 4.44%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($1.91) earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that The Hanover Insurance Group will post 10.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s payout ratio is currently 76.23%.

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.