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

Shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the nineteen brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have issued a hold recommendation, five have given a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $304.3333.

Several research firms recently issued reports on TRV. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Travelers Companies from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Evercore lifted their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $309.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on Travelers Companies from $316.00 to $319.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $302.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th.

Travelers Companies Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of TRV opened at $306.43 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $290.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $283.27. The company has a market capitalization of $66.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.49. Travelers Companies has a 1-year low of $230.43 and a 1-year high of $313.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.33.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The insurance provider reported $11.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.34 by $2.79. The firm had revenue of $12.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.13 billion. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 12.88% and a return on equity of 20.70%. The business’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $9.15 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Travelers Companies will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, January 21st that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the insurance provider to reacquire up to 8.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. Travelers Companies’s payout ratio is presently 15.98%.

Insider Activity at Travelers Companies

In related news, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.18, for a total transaction of $3,011,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 33,638 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,131,092.84. This trade represents a 22.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 16,712 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.77, for a total transaction of $4,675,516.24. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,699,602.75. The trade was a 73.34% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 92,845 shares of company stock valued at $27,239,631. Company insiders own 1.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Travelers Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Travelers Companies by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,277 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $789,000 after purchasing an additional 387 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $276,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 18.0% in the 2nd quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 10,649 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,849,000 after acquiring an additional 1,628 shares during the period. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Travelers Companies by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 92,351 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $24,656,000 after purchasing an additional 2,588 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Travelers Companies by 283.9% in the 2nd quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 119 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. 82.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.