Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Hold”

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

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on TRV. Roth Mkm reiterated a buy rating and issued a $240.00 target price on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. JMP Securities reissued a market perform rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Friday, April 19th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $261.00 to $252.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Oppenheimer reiterated a market perform rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Travelers Companies from $214.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, May 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $221.12.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Travelers Companies stock opened at $202.97 on Friday. 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 company has a market cap of $46.48 billion, a PE ratio of 15.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a 50 day moving average of $212.47 and a 200-day moving average of $211.70. Travelers Companies has a 1-year low of $157.33 and a 1-year high of $232.75.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 17th. The insurance provider reported $4.69 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $11.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.11 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Travelers Companies will post 17.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th were issued a $1.05 dividend. This is a positive change from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 10th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.07%. Travelers Companies’s payout ratio is presently 31.20%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Daniel S. Frey sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 18,515 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,941,843.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Daniel S. Frey sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.90, for a total transaction of $1,064,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 18,515 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,941,843.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 3,635 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.68, for a total transaction of $776,726.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,298,106. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 18,635 shares of company stock worth $3,980,827. Company insiders own 1.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TRV. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new position in Travelers Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Beacon Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 74.2% in the first quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 155 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Northwest Financial Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Travelers Companies during the first quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Tributary Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Travelers Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $45,000. 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.