The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) Stock Price Down 0.2% – Should You Sell?

Shares of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) were down 0.2% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $155.25 and last traded at $156.00. Approximately 15,114 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 91% from the average daily volume of 175,134 shares. The stock had previously closed at $156.31.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on THG shares. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $170.00 price objective on the stock. Piper Sandler increased their price target on The Hanover Insurance Group from $162.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Oppenheimer raised their price target on 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. Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $176.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $158.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $173.29.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.40. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $156.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $142.19. The company has a market capitalization of $5.55 billion, a PE ratio of 15.29 and a beta of 0.71.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $1.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.19 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. This is a positive change from The Hanover Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. The Hanover Insurance Group’s payout ratio is currently 33.73%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.11, for a total transaction of $180,132.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 85,983 shares in the company, valued at $12,906,908.13. This represents a 1.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 30,551 shares of company stock worth $4,781,935. Corporate insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Hanover Insurance Group

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cetera Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $208,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position 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 during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 41.4% in the second 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 in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 20.7% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 753 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates increased its position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 1.5% during the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 10,048 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,260,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. 86.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.