Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) Downgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on TRV. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Travelers Companies from $241.00 to $231.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $222.00 to $219.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $194.00 to $213.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. HSBC lifted their price objective on Travelers Companies from $218.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated a neutral rating and set a $213.00 target price on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $223.47.

Travelers Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:TRV opened at $212.18 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.34. Travelers Companies has a 52 week low of $157.33 and a 52 week high of $232.75. The firm has a market cap of $48.59 billion, a PE ratio of 15.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.58. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $221.25 and its 200-day moving average is $199.62.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 17th. The insurance provider reported $4.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.75 by ($0.06). Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 13.94% and a net margin of 7.32%. The company had revenue of $11.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.11 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Travelers Companies will post 17.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.98%. This is a boost from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 7th. Travelers Companies’s payout ratio is presently 29.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Travelers Companies

In other Travelers Companies news, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 4,500 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.06, for a total transaction of $967,770.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 255,178 shares in the company, valued at $54,878,580.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CFO Daniel S. Frey sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.90, for a total transaction of $1,064,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 18,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,941,843.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.06, for a total transaction of $967,770.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 255,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $54,878,580.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 67,681 shares of company stock valued at $14,427,504 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in TRV. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Travelers Companies during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Northwest Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. AM Squared Ltd increased its position in Travelers Companies by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. AM Squared Ltd now owns 200 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. 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.