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 note published on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on TRV. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $210.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $216.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $286.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report 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 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Travelers Companies from $233.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Travelers Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $251.70.

Travelers Companies Price Performance

Shares of TRV opened at $239.87 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.46 billion, a PE ratio of 12.30, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.63. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $189.87 and a fifty-two week high of $269.55. The company’s 50-day moving average is $252.73 and its 200-day moving average is $232.94.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The insurance provider reported $5.24 EPS 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 business had revenue of $11.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.95 earnings per share. Travelers Companies’s revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Travelers Companies will post 18.84 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

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 given 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 1.75%. Travelers Companies’s payout ratio is 21.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Travelers Companies

In other news, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 40,524 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 21st. The stock was 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 directly owns 221,924 shares of the company’s stock, 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 SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.17, for a total value of $2,561,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,798 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,840,163.66. This represents a 30.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 78,149 shares of company stock valued at $20,295,856 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.33% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Travelers Companies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 3.6% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 281,463 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $65,896,000 after purchasing an additional 9,660 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 39.5% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 42.7% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 7,430 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,740,000 after acquiring an additional 2,225 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Travelers Companies in the third quarter worth about $2,174,000. Finally, Arvest Bank Trust Division bought a new position in Travelers Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $16,344,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

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.