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

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $200.40.

THG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $200.00 to $207.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Wednesday, January 21st.

Insider Activity at The Hanover Insurance Group

In related news, EVP Richard W. Lavey sold 24,420 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owned 32,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,756,572.08. This trade represents a 43.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Truist Financial Corp increased its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 2,255 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $383,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 1,880 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $344,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 2,026 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $370,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 12,020 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,183,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 1,294 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $234,000 after buying an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock opened at $172.42 on Friday. 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 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The company’s 50 day moving average is $177.52 and its 200 day moving average is $176.69. The company has a market cap of $6.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.49 and a beta of 0.32.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The insurance provider reported $5.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.20 by $0.59. The business had revenue of $1.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.52 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 10.05% and a return on equity of 21.00%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $5.32 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group will post 14.37 EPS for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. This is a positive change from The Hanover Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The Hanover Insurance Group’s payout ratio is presently 20.91%.

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.