The Hanover Insurance Group (THG) Competitors

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) and The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) are both multi-sector conglomerates companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, risk, earnings, community ranking, profitability, media sentiment, valuation and analyst recommendations.

Does the MarketBeat Community believe in MKL or THG?

The Hanover Insurance Group received 69 more outperform votes than Markel Group when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 59.48% of users gave The Hanover Insurance Group an outperform vote while only 59.24% of users gave Markel Group an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Markel Group	Outperform Votes 298 59.24%	Underperform Votes 205 40.76%
The Hanover Insurance Group	Outperform Votes 367 59.48%	Underperform Votes 250 40.52%

Do institutionals and insiders believe in MKL or THG?

77.1% of Markel Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 86.6% of The Hanover Insurance Group shares are held by institutional investors. 1.7% of Markel Group shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.4% of The Hanover Insurance Group shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Does the media refer more to MKL or THG?

In the previous week, Markel Group had 18 more articles in the media than The Hanover Insurance Group. MarketBeat recorded 33 mentions for Markel Group and 15 mentions for The Hanover Insurance Group. The Hanover Insurance Group's average media sentiment score of 1.05 beat Markel Group's score of 1.02 indicating that The Hanover Insurance Group is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Markel Group	21 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	2 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
The Hanover Insurance Group	8 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has preferable valuation and earnings, MKL or THG?

Markel Group has higher revenue and earnings than The Hanover Insurance Group. Markel Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than The Hanover Insurance Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Markel Group	$16.75B	1.36	$2.64B	$199.04	8.99
The Hanover Insurance Group	$6.22B	0.91	$426M	$11.69	13.40

Do analysts rate MKL or THG?

Markel Group currently has a consensus price target of $1,702.20, indicating a potential downside of 4.92%. The Hanover Insurance Group has a consensus price target of $178.00, indicating a potential upside of 13.59%. Given The Hanover Insurance Group's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe The Hanover Insurance Group is more favorable than Markel Group.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Markel Group	1 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	1.80
The Hanover Insurance Group	0 Sell rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.44

Is MKL or THG more profitable?

Markel Group has a net margin of 16.34% compared to The Hanover Insurance Group's net margin of 6.83%. The Hanover Insurance Group's return on equity of 18.01% beat Markel Group's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Markel Group	16.34%	7.55%	1.99%
The Hanover Insurance Group	6.83%	18.01%	3.23%

Which has more risk and volatility, MKL or THG?

Markel Group has a beta of 0.7, suggesting that its stock price is 30% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, The Hanover Insurance Group has a beta of 0.47, suggesting that its stock price is 53% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

The Hanover Insurance Group beats Markel Group on 11 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.