Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Saturday morning.

TRV has been the topic of several other reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $304.00 to $316.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. UBS Group upped their target price on Travelers Companies from $284.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Travelers Companies from $275.00 to $291.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Monday, September 15th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Travelers Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $290.11.

Travelers Companies Stock Down 1.6%

TRV stock opened at $269.92 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $273.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $266.16. The company has a market capitalization of $60.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.33. Travelers Companies has a 12 month low of $230.23 and a 12 month high of $287.95.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 17th. The insurance provider reported $6.51 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.52 by $2.99. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 10.97% and a return on equity of 18.68%. The business had revenue of $11.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.51 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Travelers Companies will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 10th were given a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 10th. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 19.46%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Mojgan M. Lefebvre sold 16,820 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.54, for a total transaction of $4,668,222.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Gregory C. Toczydlowski sold 11,505 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.12, for a total transaction of $3,061,710.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,900,865.92. This trade represents a 38.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TRV. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its stake in Travelers Companies by 700.0% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. raised 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 valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co raised its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 122.2% in the second quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 100 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Delos Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Travelers Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. 82.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.