The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) Shares Up 0.7% - Still a Buy?

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 0.7% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $155.51 and last traded at $155.21. Approximately 34,180 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 174,859 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.16.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on THG shares. JMP Securities increased their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded The Hanover Insurance Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $176.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Piper Sandler upped their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $162.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $158.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $173.29.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $156.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $142.55. The company has a market cap of $5.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.36 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 quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.19 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 11.41 EPS for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a dividend of $0.90 per share. This is an increase from The Hanover Insurance Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. The Hanover Insurance Group's payout ratio is presently 35.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Hanover Insurance Group news, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $45,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 89,733 shares in the company, valued at $13,459,950. This represents a 0.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders have sold 30,551 shares of company stock valued at $4,781,935. 2.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of THG. Cetera Advisors LLC purchased a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $208,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 20.0% during the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,931 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $619,000 after acquiring an additional 823 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 41.4% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 5,271 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $661,000 after acquiring an additional 1,544 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 20.7% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 753 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates boosted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 10,048 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,260,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. 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.