Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) Stock Price

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) had its price objective boosted by Morgan Stanley from $269.00 to $285.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on TRV. Wolfe Research started coverage on Travelers Companies in a research note on Monday, September 15th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Citigroup started coverage on Travelers Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $291.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Travelers Companies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Travelers Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $285.44.

Travelers Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:TRV opened at $285.21 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $272.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $265.84. Travelers Companies has a 1-year low of $226.11 and a 1-year high of $286.89. The stock has a market cap of $64.21 billion, a PE ratio of 12.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.51.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 17th. The insurance provider reported $6.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.52 by $2.99. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 18.68% and a net margin of 10.97%.The business had revenue of $11.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.02 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.51 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Travelers Companies will post 17.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 10th were issued a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 10th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.46%.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Travelers Companies

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in Travelers Companies by 700.0% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 1,820.0% during the second quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Missouri Trust & Investment Co increased its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 122.2% during the second quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 100 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Delos Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

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.