The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) Trading 1.1% Higher – Should You Buy?

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) was up 1.1% on Friday . The company traded as high as $166.05 and last traded at $166.05. Approximately 30,989 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 175,088 shares. The stock had previously closed at $164.27.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

THG has been the subject of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $164.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $162.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $176.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, The Hanover Insurance Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $173.83.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a market cap of $5.95 billion, a PE ratio of 16.37 and a beta of 0.70. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $153.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $140.48.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.19 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 11.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th were given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.06%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.73%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 6,114 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 54,091 shares in the company, valued at $8,782,214.76. This represents a 10.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 30,551 shares of company stock valued at $4,781,935. 2.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Hanover Insurance Group

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group during the first quarter worth about $261,000. Tidal Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the 1st quarter valued at $867,000. Cetera Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group during the first quarter worth $208,000. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 111.8% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 12,794 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,739,000 after buying an additional 6,753 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 4.2% during the second quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 4,871 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $611,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the period. 86.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.