The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $200.60.

A number of research analysts recently commented on THG shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st.

Insider Activity at The Hanover Insurance Group

In other news, Director Jane D. Carlin sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.91, for a total value of $217,092.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 2,423 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $438,344.93. This represents a 33.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard W. Lavey sold 24,420 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.92, for a total value of $4,369,226.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 32,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,756,572.08. This represents a 43.15% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Hanover Insurance Group

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the fourth quarter worth $83,817,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 36.1% in 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 last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 37.8% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 763,431 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $137,967,000 after acquiring an additional 209,616 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 44.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 646,910 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $118,236,000 after purchasing an additional 197,930 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 206.0% in the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 292,121 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $53,058,000 after buying an additional 196,655 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Down 1.4%

NYSE THG opened at $179.09 on Wednesday. The Hanover Insurance Group has a twelve month low of $147.76 and a twelve month high of $188.18. The stock has a market cap of $6.30 billion, a PE ratio of 9.86 and a beta of 0.31. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $175.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $177.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.44.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 20th. The insurance provider reported $5.46 EPS for the quarter. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 21.00% and a net margin of 10.05%.The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter. On average, research analysts forecast 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 will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. 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.