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

Key Points

• The Hanover Insurance Group has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from ten research firms, with an average 1-year price target of $185.13.
• The company reported $4.35 EPS in its latest quarterly earnings, surpassing the consensus estimate of $3.07 and showing a 3.1% year-over-year revenue growth.
• The Hanover Insurance Group declared a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 2.1%, with a payout ratio of 23.70%.

Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the ten research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $185.1250.

A number of research firms have recently commented on THG. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $188.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. JMP Securities set a $205.00 price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Thursday, July 31st.

Institutional Trading of The Hanover Insurance Group

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 23,642 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $3,656,000 after buying an additional 738 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 43.3% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 8,049 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,232,000 after buying an additional 2,432 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 9,604 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,485,000 after buying an additional 661 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $8,612,000. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 15,694 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $2,427,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE THG traded up $1.4150 during trading on Friday, reaching $171.1450. 72,448 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 249,594. The business's 50-day moving average price is $167.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $166.38. The Hanover Insurance Group has a twelve month low of $132.93 and a twelve month high of $178.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The company has a market capitalization of $6.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.26 and a beta of 0.45.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The insurance provider reported $4.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.07 by $1.28. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 8.67% and a return on equity of 20.24%. The business had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.88 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast 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, June 27th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th were issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 13th. The Hanover Insurance Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.70%.

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.