Analysts Set The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) Price Target at $200.60

Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $199.50.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on THG shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen cut The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jane D. Carlin sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.91, for a total transaction of $217,092.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 2,423 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $438,344.93. This trade represents a 33.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Richard W. Lavey sold 24,420 shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.92, for a total transaction of $4,369,226.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 32,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,756,572.08. This represents a 43.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of The Hanover Insurance Group

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in THG. Norges Bank bought a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group in the fourth quarter worth about $83,817,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 36.1% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,280,418 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $217,505,000 after acquiring an additional 339,896 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 37.8% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 763,431 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $137,967,000 after purchasing an additional 209,616 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 44.1% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 646,910 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $118,236,000 after acquiring an additional 197,930 shares during the period. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 206.0% in the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 292,121 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $53,058,000 after purchasing an additional 196,655 shares in the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Up 2.1%

THG opened at $175.93 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.68 and a beta of 0.29. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $173.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $176.92. The Hanover Insurance Group has a twelve month low of $147.76 and a twelve month high of $188.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 20th. The insurance provider reported $5.46 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 10.05% and a return on equity of 21.00%. Equities research analysts forecast that The Hanover Insurance Group will post 14.37 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s payout ratio is 20.91%.

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.