Chubb Limited (NYSE:CB) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Chubb Limited (NYSE:CB - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seventeen research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation, eight have assigned a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $307.53.

CB has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Chubb from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Chubb from $324.00 to $321.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Chubb from $307.00 to $308.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. HSBC upgraded Chubb from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $323.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Chubb in a research report on Thursday, April 24th.

Chubb Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of Chubb stock traded up $4.61 on Friday, reaching $289.73. The stock had a trading volume of 1,991,865 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,625,862. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $116.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $287.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $281.81. Chubb has a 1 year low of $251.42 and a 1 year high of $306.91.

Chubb (NYSE:CB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $3.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.40. Chubb had a net margin of 15.05% and a return on equity of 12.37%. The business had revenue of $12.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.22 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Chubb will post 21.52 EPS for the current year.

Chubb Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a $0.97 dividend. This represents a $3.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.34%. This is a positive change from Chubb's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. Chubb's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.67%.

Chubb declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, May 15th that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chubb

In related news, COO John W. Keogh sold 85,083 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.24, for a total transaction of $24,694,489.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 237,728 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $68,998,174.72. This trade represents a 26.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.86% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chubb

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CB. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Chubb by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 964 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $291,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Rise Advisors LLC grew its stake in Chubb by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 841 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $254,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Chubb by 4.4% in the first quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 905 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. increased its stake in shares of Chubb by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. now owns 783 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $236,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lincoln Capital LLC lifted its stake in Chubb by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Lincoln Capital LLC now owns 6,962 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,022,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. 83.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Chubb Company Profile

Chubb Limited provides insurance and reinsurance products worldwide. The company's North America Commercial P&C Insurance segment offers commercial property, casualty, workers' compensation, package policies, risk management, financial lines, marine, construction, environmental, medical risk, cyber risk, surety, and casualty; and group accident and health insurance to large, middle market, and small commercial businesses.