Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $302.38 and last traded at $301.3710, with a volume of 220680 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $295.22.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on TRV shares. Roth Mkm raised their price target on Travelers Companies from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Travelers Companies from $316.00 to $319.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Travelers Companies from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Travelers Companies from $307.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $315.00 to $312.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $303.00.

Travelers Companies Stock Up 0.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.96, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.51. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $284.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $277.82.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 21st. The insurance provider reported $11.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.34 by $2.79. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 20.70% and a net margin of 12.88%.The firm had revenue of $12.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.13 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $9.15 earnings per share. Travelers Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be 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 is Tuesday, March 10th. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.98%.

Travelers Companies announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, January 21st that authorizes the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the insurance provider to reacquire up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Travelers Companies

In other Travelers Companies news, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 55,733 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $294.70, for a total transaction of $16,424,515.10. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 260,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,718,956.30. This represents a 17.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Maria Olivo sold 8,920 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.73, for a total transaction of $2,637,911.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 117,596 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,776,665.08. This trade represents a 7.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 85,168 shares of company stock worth $24,835,002 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in TRV. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 1,820.0% in the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Travelers Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Travelers Companies by 134.1% during the third quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 200.0% in the second quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 104 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

Travelers Companies Company Profile

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.