The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) Raises Dividend to $1.10 Per Share

The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, April 17th, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of 1.10 per share by the insurance provider on Monday, June 30th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.72%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. This is a 4.8% increase from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05.

Travelers Companies has increased its dividend by an average of 5.9% annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 20 consecutive years. Travelers Companies has a payout ratio of 17.4% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Travelers Companies to earn $23.09 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $4.20 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 18.2%.

Travelers Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE TRV traded up $3.57 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $256.05. 1,682,050 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,309,520. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $251.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $249.07. The company has a market cap of $58.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.93, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.48. Travelers Companies has a 12-month low of $200.21 and a 12-month high of $269.56.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $1.38. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 19.06% and a net margin of 10.77%. The firm had revenue of $10.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.69 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Travelers Companies will post 17.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

An institutional investor recently bought a new position in Travelers Companies stock. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,146 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $276,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TRV has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com cut Travelers Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $287.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Travelers Companies from $247.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Travelers Companies from $274.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $268.00 target price (down from $273.00) on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $267.32.

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.