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

The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have assigned a hold recommendation, five have assigned a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $306.7857.

Several equities analysts recently commented on TRV shares. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings raised Travelers Companies from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $315.00 to $312.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $316.00 to $319.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Monday, February 2nd.

Insider Transactions at Travelers Companies

In other Travelers Companies news, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 55,733 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.70, for a total transaction of $16,424,515.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 260,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,718,956.30. The trade was a 17.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Maria Olivo sold 10,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 117,596 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,366,997. This represents a 8.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 92,845 shares of company stock valued at $27,239,631. Corporate insiders own 1.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Travelers Companies

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 1,820.0% in the second 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. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 134.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Travelers Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

Shares of TRV opened at $291.56 on Wednesday. Travelers Companies has a 1 year low of $230.43 and a 1 year high of $313.12. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $296.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $286.16. The company has a market capitalization of $63.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.59, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.33.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last issued 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. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 20.70% and a net margin of 12.88%.The company had revenue of $12.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $9.15 EPS. Travelers Companies’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Travelers Companies will post 17.02 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, January 21st that authorizes the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the insurance provider to buy up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally 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 was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were issued a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 10th. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.98%.

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.