The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-one brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have issued a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $271.11.

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Travelers Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Barclays cut their price target on Travelers Companies from $287.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Travelers Companies from $247.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Travelers Companies from $288.00 to $296.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Travelers Companies from $260.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

TRV stock opened at $272.14 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $61.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.53. Travelers Companies has a 1 year low of $200.21 and a 1 year high of $277.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $262.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $253.98.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $1.38. The firm had revenue of $10.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.97 billion. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 19.06% and a net margin of 10.77%. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.69 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Travelers Companies will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a $1.10 dividend. This is an increase 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 is Tuesday, June 10th. Travelers Companies’s payout ratio is currently 23.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Travelers Companies

In other Travelers Companies news, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 35,456 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $273.78, for a total transaction of $9,707,143.68. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 262,329 shares in the company, valued at $71,820,433.62. This represents a 11.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.50, for a total value of $549,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 255,086 shares in the company, valued at approximately $70,021,107. This trade represents a 0.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 163,869 shares of company stock worth $44,868,201 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Travelers Companies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TRV. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership bought a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 82.45% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.