The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the nineteen research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $275.56.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Travelers Companies from $260.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Travelers Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Barclays cut Travelers Companies from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $280.00 to $274.00 in a report on Monday, July 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Travelers Companies from $304.00 to $316.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Travelers Companies from $264.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th.

Travelers Companies Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:TRV traded down $0.88 during trading on Friday, reaching $261.11. 1,194,156 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,284,233. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.33. Travelers Companies has a 1-year low of $206.43 and a 1-year high of $277.83. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $265.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $257.01. The firm has a market cap of $58.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.51.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The insurance provider reported $6.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.52 by $2.99. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 18.68% and a net margin of 10.97%. The business had revenue of $11.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.51 earnings per share. Travelers Companies's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Travelers Companies will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 10th will be given a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 10th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.69%. Travelers Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.46%.

Insider Transactions at Travelers Companies

In other news, CFO Daniel S. Frey sold 20,286 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $273.48, for a total value of $5,547,815.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 26,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,365,363.36. This trade represents a 42.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Gregory C. Toczydlowski sold 11,505 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.12, for a total value of $3,061,710.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,416 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,900,865.92. The trade was a 38.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 175,374 shares of company stock worth $47,929,912. 1.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Travelers Companies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 700.0% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new position in Travelers Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Missouri Trust & Investment Co increased its stake in Travelers Companies by 122.2% during the second quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 100 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. 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.