Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Brean Capital

Brean Capital initiated coverage on shares of Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) in a research note published on Thursday. The firm issued a neutral rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

TRV has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Zacks Research cut shares of Travelers Companies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Travelers Companies from $316.00 to $319.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Argus raised Travelers Companies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Travelers Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $304.33.

Travelers Companies Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE:TRV opened at $302.19 on Thursday. Travelers Companies has a 1 year low of $230.43 and a 1 year high of $313.12. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $291.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $284.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The company has a market cap of $65.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.49.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The insurance provider reported $11.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.34 by $2.79. The company had revenue of $12.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.13 billion. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 20.70% and a net margin of 12.88%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.15 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Travelers Companies will post 17.02 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, January 21st that permits the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the insurance provider to reacquire up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.98%.

Insider Transactions at Travelers Companies

In other news, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $301.18, for a total transaction of $3,011,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 33,638 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,131,092.84. This represents a 22.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Maria Olivo sold 10,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.75, for a total value of $3,127,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 117,596 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,366,997. The trade was a 8.13% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 92,845 shares of company stock valued at $27,239,631 over the last quarter. 1.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Travelers Companies

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in TRV. Cim LLC grew its position in Travelers Companies by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Cim LLC now owns 8,145 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,363,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 5,210 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,511,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. boosted its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 5,236 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,519,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 1,949 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $541,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 111 Capital increased its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. 111 Capital now owns 1,223 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $355,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. 82.45% of the stock is currently owned by 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.