The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) Sets New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $176.71 and last traded at $176.06, with a volume of 294937 shares. The stock had previously closed at $174.17.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on THG shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $163.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. JMP Securities boosted their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded The Hanover Insurance Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $179.50.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market cap of $6.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.06 and a beta of 0.44. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $165.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $161.94.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.58 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.55 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 6.83% and a return on equity of 18.01%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.08 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Bryan J. Salvatore sold 10,526 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.60, for a total transaction of $1,753,631.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 25,864 shares in the company, valued at $4,308,942.40. The trade was a 28.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO John C. Roche sold 200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.01, for a total value of $35,002.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 124,278 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,749,892.78. This represents a 0.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 11,027 shares of company stock worth $1,841,309. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of The Hanover Insurance Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the 4th quarter worth about $67,928,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $64,340,000. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 45.1% during the first quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 907,760 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $157,905,000 after acquiring an additional 282,233 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 28.6% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,217,919 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $188,363,000 after acquiring an additional 270,491 shares during the period. Finally, Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 166.7% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 346,275 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $60,235,000 after acquiring an additional 216,427 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.61% of the company's stock.

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.