The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) Stock Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average - What's Next?

Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $144.70 and traded as high as $155.09. The Hanover Insurance Group shares last traded at $154.66, with a volume of 105,310 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on THG shares. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered The Hanover Insurance Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $176.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $170.00 target price for the company. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $162.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, JMP Securities raised their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, The Hanover Insurance Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $174.13.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $157.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $144.75. The company has a market cap of $5.49 billion, a PE ratio of 15.12 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.40. The Hanover Insurance Group had a net margin of 5.92% and a return on equity of 15.53%. The company had revenue of $1.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.19 earnings per share. The Hanover Insurance Group's revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 11.41 EPS for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th were given a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.36%. This is a boost from The Hanover Insurance Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. The Hanover Insurance Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hanover Insurance Group

In other The Hanover Insurance Group news, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 4,800 shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.41, for a total value of $721,968.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 80,790 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,151,623.90. The trade was a 5.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders have sold a total of 29,051 shares of company stock valued at $4,556,803 over the last quarter. 2.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 14,711.0% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 552,450 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $81,823,000 after buying an additional 548,720 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 10.7% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,484,592 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $219,883,000 after acquiring an additional 143,339 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the second quarter valued at $14,684,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 116.7% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 114,643 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $14,150,000 after purchasing an additional 61,738 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $4,284,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.