The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) Sets New 52-Week High - Time to Buy?

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $173.58 and last traded at $172.77, with a volume of 6107 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $172.54.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $176.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays upgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $161.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $175.25.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $6.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.76 and a beta of 0.65. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $163.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $157.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

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The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $5.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.45 by $1.87. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 18.01% and a net margin of 6.83%. As a group, analysts forecast that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. The Hanover Insurance Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hanover Insurance Group

In other The Hanover Insurance Group news, CEO John C. Roche sold 200 shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.01, for a total transaction of $35,002.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 124,278 shares in the company, valued at $21,749,892.78. The trade was a 0.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 7,163 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,092,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank raised its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 10,776 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,658,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 1,822 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $270,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Ironwood Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Ironwood Investment Management LLC now owns 9,703 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,501,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 49.5% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 272 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Hanover Insurance Group Company Profile

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.