Brokerages Set The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) PT at $199.00

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, 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 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $200.40.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on THG shares. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $200.00 price target 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 note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st.

The Hanover Insurance Group Trading Up 0.1%

THG stock opened at $171.60 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $177.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $176.69. The Hanover Insurance Group has a fifty-two week low of $147.76 and a fifty-two week high of $188.18. The firm has a market cap of $6.11 billion, a PE ratio of 9.44 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.43.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The insurance provider reported $5.79 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 Hanover Insurance Group’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $5.32 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group will post 14.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th were issued a $0.95 dividend. This is a boost from The Hanover Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. 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. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Hanover Insurance Group news, EVP Richard W. Lavey sold 24,420 shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.92, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 43.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Hanover Insurance Group

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

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.