The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) Trading Down 2.9% – Time to Sell?

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG)’s share price traded down 2.9% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $153.60 and last traded at $154.08. 47,326 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average session volume of 174,462 shares. The stock had previously closed at $158.72.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer increased their target price on The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $177.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. JMP Securities increased their price objective 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. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered 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 research note on Thursday, November 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted 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, Bank of America increased their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $158.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Hanover Insurance Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $173.29.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $155.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $141.69. 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 company has a market cap of $5.61 billion, a P/E 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 company had revenue of $1.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.19 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 11.41 EPS for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a dividend of $0.90 per share. This is a positive change from The Hanover Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s payout ratio is currently 33.73%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.11, for a total transaction of $180,132.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 85,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,906,908.13. The trade was a 1.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 30,551 shares of company stock valued at $4,781,935. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Hanover Insurance Group

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

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.