The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) Receives $203.60 Average PT from Brokerages

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $205.8571.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Citizens Jmp lifted their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $194.00 to $203.00 in a research report on Tuesday.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Denise Lowsley sold 4,175 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.73, for a total transaction of $800,472.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $744,487.59. The trade was a 51.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO John C. Roche sold 8,358 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.74, for a total transaction of $1,619,278.92. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 141,011 shares in the company, valued at $27,319,471.14. The trade was a 5.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 29,708 shares of company stock valued at $5,726,373 in the last three months. 2.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 36.1% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,280,418 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $217,505,000 after purchasing an additional 339,896 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 16.4% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 970,177 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $168,179,000 after purchasing an additional 136,998 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 24.9% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 953,781 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $174,322,000 after purchasing an additional 190,350 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 3.2% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 827,320 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $143,416,000 after purchasing an additional 25,945 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 727,958 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $133,073,000 after purchasing an additional 29,870 shares in the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE THG opened at $195.34 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $180.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $178.84. The Hanover Insurance Group has a 12 month low of $160.70 and a 12 month high of $199.59. The company has a market capitalization of $6.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 0.31.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $5.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.14 by $1.11. The business had revenue of $1.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.58 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 10.77% and a return on equity of 21.55%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.87 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that The Hanover Insurance Group will post 18.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, May 13th that permits the company to repurchase $700.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the insurance provider to purchase up to 10.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.12%.

The Hanover Insurance Group News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting The Hanover Insurance Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: THG was upgraded to Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), with Zacks citing improving earnings outlook and stronger estimate trends. Article title
• Positive Sentiment: THG also landed on Zacks’ Strong Buy income and Strong Buy value stock lists, reinforcing the view that the shares may still be attractive after a strong earnings beat and recent rally. Article title Article title
• Positive Sentiment: Earlier analyst updates remained constructive, including Oppenheimer raising its price target to $220 and maintaining an outperform view, which suggests further upside from current levels. Article title
• Neutral Sentiment: Two executives disclosed stock sales, including CEO John C. Roche and EVP Dennis Francis Kerrigan. Insider selling can sometimes weigh on sentiment, but the transactions were part of routine filings and do not by themselves signal a business deterioration. Article title
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s latest earnings report was strong, with EPS and revenue both topping estimates, and THG also authorized a $700 million share repurchase program, a shareholder-friendly move that can support the 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.