Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at StockNews.com

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on TRV. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $207.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered shares of Travelers Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $280.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $216.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $245.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $251.15.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:TRV traded up $2.89 on Wednesday, reaching $266.66. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,200,371 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,306,734. Travelers Companies has a 52-week low of $175.88 and a 52-week high of $269.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.34. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $248.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $226.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.67, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.62.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The insurance provider reported $5.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.79 by $1.45. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 10.02% and a return on equity of 17.69%. The business had revenue of $11.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.95 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Travelers Companies will post 18.83 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Travelers Companies

In related news, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 40,524 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.12, for a total transaction of $10,541,102.88. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 221,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $57,726,870.88. This represents a 15.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Andy F. Bessette sold 4,520 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.46, for a total transaction of $1,145,639.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,976 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,302,736.96. This represents a 21.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 78,149 shares of company stock valued at $20,295,856. Company insiders own 1.33% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Travelers Companies

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Y.D. More Investments Ltd purchased a new position in Travelers Companies during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Travelers Companies during the first quarter worth approximately $35,000. Beacon Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Travelers Companies by 74.2% during the first quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 155 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 39.1% in the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 160 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the third quarter worth $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

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.