The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) Stock Rated “Moderate Buy” by Wall Street Brokerages

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $227.14.

Several research analysts recently commented on THG shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $215.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Piper Sandler lowered The Hanover Insurance Group from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $220.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $222.00 to $232.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, September 18th.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

The Hanover Insurance Group stock opened at $217.98 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The Hanover Insurance Group has a 52-week low of $166.54 and a 52-week high of $236.07. The firm has a market cap of $7.59 billion, a PE ratio of 10.40 and a beta of 0.26. The company’s 50 day moving average is $224.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $202.08.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The insurance provider reported $5.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.84 by $1.47. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 11.17% and a return on equity of 21.72%. The business had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.35 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that The Hanover Insurance Group will post 20.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.14%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Dennis Kerrigan sold 2,104 shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.41, for a total transaction of $467,950.64. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 12,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,669,587.23. The trade was a 14.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Jane D. Carlin sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.50, for a total transaction of $231,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $525,505. The trade was a 30.58% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 9,655 shares of company stock worth $2,145,846 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 2.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of The Hanover Insurance Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 69.3% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 237 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 146.2% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 256 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 19.1% during the first quarter. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 343 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About The Hanover Insurance Group

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc is a holding company that provides property and casualty insurance products and services through a network of independent agents. Its offerings are designed for individuals, families, businesses and specialty-market customers, with a focus on helping policyholders manage risks involving property, automobiles, liability and business operations.

The company’s personal lines business includes automobile, homeowners, renters, condominium, umbrella and related insurance products.