Brokerages Set The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) Target Price at $160.20

Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $160.20.

A number of brokerages recently commented on THG. Piper Sandler upped their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $147.00 to $162.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $158.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $142.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th.

The Hanover Insurance Group Trading Down 2.0 %

NYSE:THG opened at $147.82 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.14 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The Hanover Insurance Group has a 12 month low of $112.22 and a 12 month high of $155.84. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $146.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $135.81.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The insurance provider reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.88. The company had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.49 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 12.42% and a net margin of 4.44%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($1.91) EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Hanover Insurance Group will post 10.99 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th were given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 76.23%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.08, for a total value of $1,860,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 66,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,249,392.28. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 4,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.41, for a total value of $721,968.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 80,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,151,623.90. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 12,000 shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.08, for a total transaction of $1,860,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 66,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,249,392.28. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 29,303 shares of company stock worth $4,372,203 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 14,711.0% during 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 acquiring an additional 548,720 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 149.4% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 417,767 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $50,725,000 after purchasing an additional 250,254 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $14,684,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,341,253 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $168,247,000 after purchasing an additional 70,161 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 116.7% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 114,643 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $14,150,000 after buying an additional 61,738 shares in the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.