Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) Reaches New 1-Year High - Here's What Happened

The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $277.83 and last traded at $276.40, with a volume of 546921 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $276.34.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Hsbc Global Res lowered shares of Travelers Companies from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $290.00 to $303.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Travelers Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $260.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $271.11.

Travelers Companies Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.33. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $262.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $253.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.53.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $1.38. The firm had revenue of $10.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.97 billion. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 10.77% and a return on equity of 19.06%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.69 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be paid a $1.10 dividend. This is a positive change from Travelers Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. Travelers Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.95%.

Insider Transactions at Travelers Companies

In other news, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 35,456 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $273.78, for a total value of $9,707,143.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 262,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $71,820,433.62. This represents a 11.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Maria Olivo sold 36,199 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.20, for a total transaction of $9,925,765.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 118,116 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $32,387,407.20. This represents a 23.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 163,869 shares of company stock valued at $44,868,201. Company insiders own 1.46% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Travelers Companies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 700.0% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 82.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.