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

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on 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. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets upped 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. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of The Hanover Insurance Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $175.25.

The Hanover Insurance Group Trading Down 0.1 %

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $162.10 and its 200 day moving average is $156.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The company has a market capitalization of $6.19 billion, a PE ratio of 14.74 and a beta of 0.65.

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

The Hanover Insurance Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.80%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Hanover Insurance Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 13.4% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 11,925 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,766,000 after purchasing an additional 1,408 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 5.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 369,545 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $54,733,000 after buying an additional 17,856 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 1,078 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 19.5% during the 3rd 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. Finally, FMR LLC raised its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 17,583 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.