The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) Shares Down 0.2% - What's Next?

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded down 0.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $155.25 and last traded at $156.00. 15,114 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average session volume of 175,134 shares. The stock had previously closed at $156.31.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $162.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on The Hanover Insurance Group in a report on Thursday, December 5th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $170.00 price target on the stock. Oppenheimer boosted 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 note on Friday, November 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $164.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott lowered shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $176.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $173.29.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $155.99 and a 200 day moving average of $142.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.39 and a beta of 0.71.

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 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.19 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 11.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $0.90 dividend. This is a positive change from The Hanover Insurance Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. The Hanover Insurance Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 6,114 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.36, for a total transaction of $992,669.04. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 54,091 shares in the company, valued at $8,782,214.76. This trade represents a 10.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders sold 30,551 shares of company stock worth $4,781,935 in the last 90 days. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of The Hanover Insurance Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 344.5% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 7,254 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,074,000 after purchasing an additional 5,622 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 35.0% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 4,013 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $656,000 after buying an additional 1,040 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 15.9% during the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $174,000 after buying an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 660,272 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $97,816,000 after acquiring an additional 16,800 shares during the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.