The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) Stock Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) shares passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $144.70 and traded as high as $155.09. The Hanover Insurance Group shares last traded at $154.66, with a volume of 105,310 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on THG. Morgan Stanley started coverage on The Hanover Insurance Group in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $170.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $158.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target 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, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on The Hanover Insurance Group from $161.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.13.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $5.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.20 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $157.26 and a 200 day moving average of $144.75.

The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $1.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 15.53% and a net margin of 5.92%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.19 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast 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 was paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th were issued a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.35%. This is a positive change from The Hanover Insurance Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. The Hanover Insurance Group’s payout ratio is presently 35.71%.

Insider Transactions at The Hanover Insurance Group

In related news, EVP Jeffrey M. Farber sold 12,000 shares of The Hanover Insurance Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.08, for a total value of $1,860,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 66,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,249,392.28. This trade represents a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders sold 29,051 shares of company stock worth $4,556,803 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of THG. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 226.0% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 339 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC increased its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 344.5% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 7,254 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,074,000 after buying an additional 5,622 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in The Hanover Insurance Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 35.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 4,013 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $656,000 after buying an additional 1,040 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its position in The Hanover Insurance Group by 15.9% in the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $174,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. 86.61% of the stock is currently 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.