Barclays Cuts Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) Price Target to $278.00

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) had its price objective reduced by Barclays from $295.00 to $278.00 in a report issued on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $217.00 price objective (down previously from $256.00) on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Travelers Companies from $233.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Travelers Companies from $210.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Travelers Companies from $216.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $244.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $253.45.

Travelers Companies Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE TRV opened at $241.77 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.40, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.65. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $251.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $234.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Travelers Companies has a 52-week low of $189.87 and a 52-week high of $269.55.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The insurance provider reported $5.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.79 by $1.45. The business had revenue of $11.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.46 billion. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 17.69% and a net margin of 10.02%. The business’s revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.95 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Travelers Companies will post 18.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th were paid a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.54%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Andy F. Bessette sold 4,520 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.46, for a total value of $1,145,639.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,976 shares in the company, valued at $4,302,736.96. This trade represents a 21.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 40,524 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.12, for a total value of $10,541,102.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 221,924 shares in the company, valued at $57,726,870.88. This represents a 15.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 78,149 shares of company stock worth $20,295,856. 1.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the second quarter valued at $224,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 34.0% in the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 113,208 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $23,020,000 after purchasing an additional 28,735 shares in the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 1.3% during the second quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 34,915 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $7,100,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. grew its position in Travelers Companies by 11.7% during the second quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 25,904 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $5,267,000 after purchasing an additional 2,705 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC increased its stake in Travelers Companies by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 4,576 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $930,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the period. 82.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Travelers Companies Company Profile

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.