Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Friday morning.

TRV has been the topic of several other reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Travelers Companies from $233.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Travelers Companies from $216.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Travelers Companies from $250.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Travelers Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Travelers Companies from $244.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $251.70.

Travelers Companies Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE TRV opened at $240.76 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $54.66 billion, a PE ratio of 12.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.63. Travelers Companies has a 1-year low of $182.76 and a 1-year high of $269.55. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $253.97 and a 200-day moving average of $231.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

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

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. Travelers Companies’s payout ratio is 21.54%.

Insider Activity at Travelers Companies

In other Travelers Companies news, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 40,524 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.12, for a total value of $10,541,102.88. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 221,924 shares in the company, valued at $57,726,870.88. The trade was a 15.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 3,740 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.80, for a total transaction of $990,352.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 250,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $66,301,683.20. This trade represents a 1.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 78,149 shares of company stock worth $20,295,856. 1.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Travelers Companies

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 281,463 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $65,896,000 after buying an additional 9,660 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Travelers Companies by 39.5% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 135,957 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $32,646,000 after purchasing an additional 38,515 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 42.7% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 7,430 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,740,000 after purchasing an additional 2,225 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,174,000. Finally, Arvest Bank Trust Division bought a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $16,344,000. Institutional investors own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

About Travelers Companies

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.