The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Hanover Insurance a “Moderate Buy” consensus: Five analysts rate the stock a hold, three a buy and two a strong buy. The average 12-month price target is $227.14.
• Quarterly results exceeded expectations: Hanover reported $5.31 in EPS versus the $3.84 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 4.6% year over year to $1.73 billion.
• The company announced a $0.95 quarterly dividend: The payment equates to $3.80 annually and a 1.7% yield, with an 18.14% payout ratio. Insiders sold $2.15 million of stock over the past quarter, while institutional investors own 86.61% of shares.

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the ten analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $227.1429.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on THG. Zacks Research raised shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Citizens Jmp lifted their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted 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. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (a)" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Citigroup reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Friday, July 10th.

Insider Activity at The Hanover Insurance Group

In other The Hanover Insurance Group news, EVP Dennis Kerrigan sold 6,551 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.79, for a total transaction of $1,446,395.29. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 12,003 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,650,142.37. This trade represents a 35.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jane D. Carlin sold 1,000 shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $231.50, for a total value of $231,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,270 shares in the company, valued at $525,505. This represents a 30.58% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 9,655 shares of company stock valued at $2,145,846 over the last quarter. 2.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of The Hanover Insurance Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the second quarter valued at about $36,000. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 69.3% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 237 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the second quarter valued at about $51,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 146.2% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 256 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 19.1% in the 1st quarter. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 343 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. 86.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

NYSE THG opened at $227.12 on Friday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $224.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $200.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.84 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a current ratio of 0.38. The Hanover Insurance Group has a fifty-two week low of $166.54 and a fifty-two week high of $236.07.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The insurance provider reported $5.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.84 by $1.47. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 21.72% and a net margin of 11.17%.The business had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.65 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.35 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group will post 20.17 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

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

The Hanover Insurance Group Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.