Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) Upgraded to Buy at StockNews.com

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

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Travelers Companies from $260.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Travelers Companies from $287.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Travelers Companies from $288.00 to $296.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Travelers Companies from $274.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $268.00 price target (down from $273.00) on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $267.32.

Travelers Companies Trading Up 3.3%

Shares of TRV stock opened at $271.19 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.63, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.53. Travelers Companies has a twelve month low of $200.21 and a twelve month high of $273.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $258.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $251.92.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.69 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Travelers Companies will post 17.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. This is a boost from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.95%.

Institutional Trading of Travelers Companies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Czech National Bank increased its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 49,223 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $11,857,000 after acquiring an additional 2,792 shares during the period. Aprio Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,075 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC purchased a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter worth $218,000. Brookstone Capital Management raised its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 13.2% during the fourth quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 1,628 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Travelers Companies by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,509 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $363,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in 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.