Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) Reaches New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $313.57 and last traded at $312.8560, with a volume of 179470 shares. The stock had previously closed at $307.81.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on TRV shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Travelers Companies from $297.00 to $314.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Seaport Research Partners set a $322.00 price target on Travelers Companies in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Travelers Companies from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on Travelers Companies from $259.00 to $257.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $309.07.

Travelers Companies Trading Up 1.2%

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $301.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $295.02. The firm has a market cap of $66.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.35.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $7.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.80 by $0.91. The business had revenue of $11.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.11 billion. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 24.06% and a net margin of 15.54%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.91 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. This is a positive change from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 10th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 1,557 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.64, for a total value of $483,666.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 259,590 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,639,037.60. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Diane Kurtzman sold 2,867 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.45, for a total value of $869,991.15. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,607,678.10. This represents a 35.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 37,573 shares of company stock worth $11,504,146 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.39% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Travelers Companies

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 145.7% during the 1st quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 86 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Travelers Companies in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Travelers Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 1,820.0% during the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. 82.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Travelers Companies

The Travelers Companies, Inc (NYSE: TRV) is a leading provider of property and casualty insurance products and services. The company underwrites a broad range of commercial and personal insurance lines, offering coverage designed to protect individuals, small and midsize businesses, and large corporate clients against property loss, liability, and other operational risks. Travelers is known for combining underwriting, claims management and risk control services to help clients prevent losses and recover when incidents occur.

On the commercial side, Travelers writes primary and specialty coverages including property, general liability, commercial auto, workers’ compensation, professional and management liability, surety and inland marine.