Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Tuesday.

TRV has been the topic of several other research reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Travelers Companies from $250.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $286.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded shares of Travelers Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $280.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $241.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Travelers Companies from $210.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $251.70.

Travelers Companies Price Performance

Shares of TRV opened at $243.86 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $252.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $229.94. The stock has a market cap of $55.36 billion, a PE ratio of 12.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.63. Travelers Companies has a 1-year low of $181.03 and a 1-year high of $269.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.34.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The insurance provider reported $5.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.79 by $1.45. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 10.02% and a return on equity of 17.69%. The firm had revenue of $11.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.95 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Travelers Companies will post 18.84 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.72%. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.54%.

Insider Activity at Travelers Companies

In other news, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 3,000 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.55, for a total value of $781,650.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 250,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,237,551.20. The trade was a 1.18 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 40,524 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.12, for a total transaction of $10,541,102.88. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 221,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $57,726,870.88. This represents a 15.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 78,149 shares of company stock valued at $20,295,856 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Travelers Companies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in TRV. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Travelers Companies by 9.2% during the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 144,889 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $29,462,000 after acquiring an additional 12,161 shares during the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 36.2% during the second quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 2,943 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $598,000 after purchasing an additional 782 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 199.1% during the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,026 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $208,000 after purchasing an additional 683 shares during the period. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC grew its position in Travelers Companies by 11.9% in the 2nd quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 613 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $125,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its stake in Travelers Companies by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 20,443 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,157,000 after buying an additional 361 shares during the period. 82.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Travelers Companies Company Profile

The Travelers Companies, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides a range of commercial and personal property, and casualty insurance products and services to businesses, government units, associations, and individuals in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Business Insurance, Bond & Specialty Insurance, and Personal Insurance.