Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Sunday morning.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $253.00 to $250.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $230.00 to $225.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $241.00 to $231.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Citigroup upped their target price on Travelers Companies from $215.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Travelers Companies from $222.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $223.47.

Travelers Companies Price Performance

TRV stock opened at $217.34 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $220.64 and its 200 day moving average is $201.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.34. Travelers Companies has a 52 week low of $157.33 and a 52 week high of $232.75. The firm has a market cap of $49.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.60.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 17th. The insurance provider reported $4.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.75 by ($0.06). Travelers Companies had a net margin of 7.32% and a return on equity of 13.94%. The firm had revenue of $11.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.11 EPS. Travelers Companies’s revenue was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Travelers Companies will post 17.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 7th. This is an increase from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.93%. Travelers Companies’s payout ratio is 29.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Travelers Companies

In related news, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 3,635 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.68, for a total value of $776,726.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,298,106. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CFO Daniel S. Frey sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.90, for a total transaction of $1,064,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 18,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,941,843.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 3,635 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was 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 directly owns 6,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,298,106. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 18,635 shares of company stock worth $3,980,827 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.33% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Travelers Companies

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $282,593,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 15.8% during the 3rd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,575,759 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $747,267,000 after purchasing an additional 623,974 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its position in Travelers Companies by 1,826.3% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 512,714 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $83,731,000 after purchasing an additional 486,098 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Travelers Companies by 19,918.1% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 475,830 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $90,641,000 after purchasing an additional 473,453 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners raised its holdings in Travelers Companies by 42.5% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,192,008 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $227,175,000 after purchasing an additional 355,489 shares in the last quarter. 82.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.