The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) Receives $185.13 Consensus PT from Analysts

Key Points

• The Hanover Insurance Group has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from ten brokerages, with an average target price of $185.13.
• The company reported earnings per share of $4.35 for the last quarter, exceeding the consensus estimate significantly while generating revenue of $1.58 billion.
• A quarterly dividend of $0.90 will be paid on September 26th, representing an annualized dividend yield of 2.0%.

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $185.1250.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on THG shares. JMP Securities set a $205.00 price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Citigroup reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded The Hanover Insurance Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $188.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 9th.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Down 0.9%

THG stock traded down $1.63 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $180.47. 188,938 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 180,064. The firm's 50-day moving average is $170.64 and its 200-day moving average is $168.37. The company has a market cap of $6.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.88 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The Hanover Insurance Group has a 12 month low of $142.48 and a 12 month high of $182.64.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The insurance provider reported $4.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.07 by $1.28. The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.60 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 20.24% and a net margin of 8.67%.The company's revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.88 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Hanover Insurance Group will post 14.37 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Investors of record on Friday, September 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 12th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The Hanover Insurance Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.70%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Hanover Insurance Group

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group during the first quarter worth approximately $209,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.3% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 82,886 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $14,418,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 7.3% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 112,632 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $19,592,000 after acquiring an additional 7,661 shares during the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd lifted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 881.5% during the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 3,926 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $683,000 after acquiring an additional 3,526 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 31.4% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,351 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,292,000 after acquiring an additional 1,996 shares during the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About The Hanover Insurance Group

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides various property and casualty insurance products and services in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Core Commercial, Specialty, Personal Lines, and Other. The Commercial Lines segment offers commercial multiple peril, commercial automobile, workers' compensation, and other commercial lines coverage.