Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) Lowered to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Thursday.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on TRV. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $295.00 to $278.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Roth Mkm upped their price target on Travelers Companies from $240.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Travelers Companies from $233.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $210.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Travelers Companies from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $278.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $255.53.

Travelers Companies Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:TRV opened at $241.75 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $248.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $236.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.26, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.65. Travelers Companies has a 52-week low of $200.21 and a 52-week high of $269.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.33.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The insurance provider reported $9.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.50 by $2.65. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 10.77% and a return on equity of 19.06%. The company had revenue of $12.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10,795,375 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $7.01 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Travelers Companies will post 20.33 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Maria Olivo sold 10,410 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.80, for a total value of $2,725,338.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 111,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,102,211.60. The trade was a 8.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 3,740 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.80, for a total value of $990,352.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 250,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $66,301,683.20. This represents a 1.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 18,670 shares of company stock valued at $4,861,329 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.33% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Travelers Companies

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its position in Travelers Companies by 39.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 160 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 581.1% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 252 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares during the period. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its position in Travelers Companies by 22.1% in the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 276 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 82.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.