The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) Trading 1.1% Higher - What's Next?

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report)'s share price was up 1.1% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $166.05 and last traded at $166.05. Approximately 30,989 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 175,088 shares. The stock had previously closed at $164.27.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

THG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $176.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. JMP Securities upped their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $164.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $158.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $173.83.

The Hanover Insurance Group Trading Up 0.5 %

The stock has a market cap of $5.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.37 and a beta of 0.70. The business's 50 day moving average is $153.40 and its 200 day moving average is $140.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.40.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.40. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 15.53% and a net margin of 5.92%. The business had revenue of $1.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.19 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 11.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.06%. The Hanover Insurance Group's payout ratio is currently 33.73%.

Insider Transactions at The Hanover Insurance Group

In other news, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $45,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 89,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,459,950. The trade was a 0.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In the last quarter, insiders sold 30,551 shares of company stock worth $4,781,935. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Hanover Insurance Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 14,711.0% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 552,450 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $81,823,000 after buying an additional 548,720 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 10.7% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $14,684,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 61,738 shares during the period. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $4,284,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.61% of the company's stock.

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.