Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) Hits New 12-Month High Following Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Travelers Companies hit a new 12-month high reaching $287.95 after UBS raised their price target from $284.00 to $287.00, maintaining a neutral rating on the stock.
• Recent analyst ratings include Citigroup's neutral rating with a $291.00 target, and Barclays setting a target of $313.00, illustrating mixed sentiment among analysts.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.10 per share, with an annualized dividend yield of 1.6% and a payout ratio of 19.46%.

Shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday after UBS Group raised their price target on the stock from $284.00 to $287.00. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Travelers Companies traded as high as $287.95 and last traded at $282.80, with a volume of 904955 shares. The stock had previously closed at $284.97.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $291.00 target price for the company. Barclays set a $313.00 target price on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Wednesday. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Monday, September 15th. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Travelers Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Travelers Companies to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $288.67.

Insider Activity

In other Travelers Companies news, EVP Gregory C. Toczydlowski sold 11,505 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.12, for a total transaction of $3,061,710.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,900,865.92. This represents a 38.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Mojgan M. Lefebvre sold 16,820 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.54, for a total transaction of $4,668,222.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.46% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Travelers Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bearing Point Capital LLC grew its stake in Travelers Companies by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Bearing Point Capital LLC now owns 1,973 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $522,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 4,428 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,171,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 13.9% in the 1st quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 319 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Associated Banc Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Associated Banc Corp now owns 2,734 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $731,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park National Corp OH boosted its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Park National Corp OH now owns 2,580 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $690,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 82.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $63.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.51. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $273.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $265.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.33.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.52 by $2.99. The company had revenue of $11.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.02 billion. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 10.97% and a return on equity of 18.68%. Travelers Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.51 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 10th were issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 10th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Travelers Companies's payout ratio is presently 19.46%.

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.

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