StockNews.com Downgrades Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) to Hold

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Thursday morning.

TRV has been the topic of a number of other research reports. HSBC raised their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $218.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on Travelers Companies in a research report on Wednesday, December 20th. They issued a buy rating and a $215.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group increased their target price on Travelers Companies from $205.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Travelers Companies from $230.00 to $225.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, Roth Mkm reiterated a buy rating and set a $240.00 price objective on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $218.39.

Travelers Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:TRV opened at $210.46 on Thursday. Travelers Companies has a one year low of $157.33 and a one year high of $232.75. The stock has a market cap of $48.22 billion, a PE ratio of 15.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.58. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $221.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $196.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.34.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 17th. The insurance provider reported $4.69 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.75 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $11.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.62 billion. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 13.94% and a net margin of 7.32%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.11 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Travelers Companies will post 17.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 10th. This is an increase from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.00%. Travelers Companies’s payout ratio is currently 29.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Travelers Companies

In related news, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 12,287 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.68, for a total value of $2,588,625.16. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,080 shares in the company, valued at $2,966,374.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 26,633 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.76, for a total value of $5,666,437.08. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 255,178 shares in the company, valued at approximately $54,291,671.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 12,287 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.68, for a total value of $2,588,625.16. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,080 shares in the company, valued at $2,966,374.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 109,775 shares of company stock valued at $23,343,903 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Travelers Companies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. grew its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 111,547 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $18,217,000 after buying an additional 1,600 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 124.9% in the 4th quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 13,775 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,660,000 after purchasing an additional 7,649 shares during the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Travelers Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,201,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in Travelers Companies by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 246,837 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $46,919,000 after buying an additional 16,580 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DNB Asset Management AS increased its position in Travelers Companies by 53.5% in the fourth quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 69,503 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $13,240,000 after buying an additional 24,230 shares during the period. 82.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.