The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) Shares Down 0.2% – Time to Sell?

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) was down 0.2% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $161.16 and last traded at $161.44. Approximately 26,456 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 175,070 shares. The stock had previously closed at $161.73.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on THG. Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $176.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $158.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective 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. Piper Sandler increased their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $162.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, JMP Securities lifted their price target on 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. Three 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 has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $173.83.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $5.92 billion, a PE ratio of 16.30 and a beta of 0.70. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $152.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $139.93. 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 Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $1.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.19 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 11.43 EPS 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. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s payout ratio is currently 33.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hanover Insurance Group

In other news, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 6,114 shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.36, for a total transaction of $992,669.04. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 54,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,782,214.76. The trade was a 10.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders have sold 30,551 shares of company stock worth $4,781,935 in the last ninety days. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Hanover Insurance Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in The Hanover Insurance Group during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.61% of the company’s stock.

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.