Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) Raised to Buy at StockNews.com

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

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the company. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Travelers Companies from $261.00 to $252.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Roth Mkm reiterated a buy rating and issued a $240.00 target price on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. HSBC upped their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $218.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $222.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $230.00 to $225.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $223.47.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

Travelers Companies stock opened at $217.34 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $49.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $220.64 and a 200-day moving average of $201.34. Travelers Companies has a 52 week low of $157.33 and a 52 week high of $232.75.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last posted its quarterly 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). The company had revenue of $11.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.62 billion. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 7.32% and a return on equity of 13.94%. The company’s revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.11 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Travelers Companies will post 17.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 7th. This is a positive change from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.93%. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.72%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.96, for a total transaction of $2,139,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 22,798 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,877,860.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Travelers Companies news, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.96, for a total value of $2,139,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 22,798 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,877,860.08. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 3,635 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.68, for a total value of $776,726.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,298,106. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 18,635 shares of company stock valued at $3,980,827 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.33% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Travelers Companies

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in TRV. Wealth Quarterback LLC boosted its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Quarterback LLC now owns 4,333 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $825,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda lifted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 24.1% during the 4th quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda now owns 252 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its position in Travelers Companies by 9.8% in the first quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 561 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $129,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Norwood Financial Corp grew its stake in Travelers Companies by 16.1% during the first quarter. Norwood Financial Corp now owns 360 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grimes & Company Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. now owns 2,420 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $461,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.