Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) Lifted to “Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. TD Cowen lowered Travelers Companies from a buy rating to a hold rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $252.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Monday, July 15th. Oppenheimer reissued a market perform rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Friday, April 5th. JMP Securities reissued a market perform rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Travelers Companies from $222.00 to $219.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Travelers Companies from $202.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an underperform rating in a research note on Monday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $220.94.

Travelers Companies Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of TRV opened at $209.20 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $47.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.61. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $209.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $214.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.34. Travelers Companies has a 1 year low of $157.33 and a 1 year high of $232.75.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 19th. The insurance provider reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.23 by ($0.72). The firm had revenue of $11.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.35 billion. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 15.90% and a net margin of 8.37%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.06 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Travelers Companies will post 17.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 10th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.01%. Travelers Companies’s payout ratio is 31.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Travelers Companies news, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 3,635 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.68, for a total transaction of $776,726.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,298,106. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Travelers Companies

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of TRV. Northwest Financial Advisors bought a new position in Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Beacon Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 74.2% during the first quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 155 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, OLD Second National Bank of Aurora bought a new position in Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 82.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Travelers Companies Company Profile

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.