The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) Receives $303.00 Average Target Price from Analysts

The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the nineteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have issued a hold recommendation, five have given a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $303.00.

TRV has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Travelers Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, October 19th. Roth Mkm lifted 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. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $315.00 to $304.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $317.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Travelers Companies from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Monday.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 16,712 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.77, for a total value of $4,675,516.24. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,699,602.75. This represents a 73.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 55,733 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.70, for a total value of $16,424,515.10. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 260,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $76,718,956.30. The trade was a 17.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 101,765 shares of company stock valued at $29,877,543. 1.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of TRV. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 1,949 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $541,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. 111 Capital increased its holdings in Travelers Companies by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. 111 Capital now owns 1,223 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $355,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust raised its position in Travelers Companies by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 10,036 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,911,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Allegiance Financial Group Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Travelers Companies by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Allegiance Financial Group Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,130 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $328,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC lifted its stake in Travelers Companies by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 656 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $190,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

TRV opened at $297.39 on Tuesday. Travelers Companies has a twelve month low of $230.43 and a twelve month high of $304.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.33 billion, a PE ratio of 10.80, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $285.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $278.75.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last released its earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $12.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.13 billion. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 12.88% and a return on equity of 20.70%. The business’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $9.15 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Travelers Companies will post 17.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. Travelers Companies’s payout ratio is presently 15.98%.

Travelers Companies declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, January 21st that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the insurance provider to repurchase up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.