The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $173.58 and last traded at $172.77, with a volume of 6107 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $172.54.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays upgraded The Hanover Insurance Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $161.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $176.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $175.25.

The Hanover Insurance Group Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $6.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.86 and a beta of 0.65. The business’s 50-day moving average is $162.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $5.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.45 by $1.87. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 18.01% and a net margin of 6.83%. As a group, analysts predict that The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. will post 14.37 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.07%. The Hanover Insurance Group’s payout ratio is currently 30.80%.

Institutional Trading of The Hanover Insurance Group

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 369,545 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $54,733,000 after acquiring an additional 17,856 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 23.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 5,617 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $832,000 after buying an additional 1,078 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 19.5% in the third quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 10,839 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,605,000 after acquiring an additional 1,770 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 11.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 170,615 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $25,270,000 after purchasing an additional 17,583 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 104.4% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,967 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,772,000 after buying an additional 6,112 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.