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

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

THG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Wednesday, January 21st.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:THG opened at $169.15 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.44 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $173.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $177.09. The Hanover Insurance Group has a fifty-two week low of $147.76 and a fifty-two week high of $188.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.31 and a beta of 0.31.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 20th. The insurance provider reported $5.46 EPS for the quarter. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 10.05% and a return on equity of 21.00%. The company had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter. As a group, analysts predict that The Hanover Insurance Group will post 14.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jane D. Carlin sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.91, for a total transaction of $217,092.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,423 shares in the company, valued at $438,344.93. This represents a 33.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard W. Lavey sold 24,420 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.92, for a total transaction of $4,369,226.40. Following 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. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the 4th quarter valued at $83,817,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 36.1% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,280,418 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $217,505,000 after acquiring an additional 339,896 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 37.8% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 763,431 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $137,967,000 after acquiring an additional 209,616 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 197,930 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 206.0% in the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 292,121 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $53,058,000 after purchasing an additional 196,655 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

The Hanover Insurance Group Company Profile

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.