Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Citigroup Analyst Says

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) had its target price hoisted by stock analysts at Citigroup from $291.00 to $315.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “sell” rating on the insurance provider’s stock. Citigroup’s price target suggests a potential upside of 11.74% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on TRV. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $315.00 to $304.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Argus raised Travelers Companies to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group raised Travelers Companies to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Travelers Companies from $309.00 to $317.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Travelers Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $304.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $302.80.

Travelers Companies Price Performance

NYSE TRV opened at $281.90 on Tuesday. Travelers Companies has a one year low of $230.43 and a one year high of $296.85. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $284.95 and a 200 day moving average of $276.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.33. The company has a market capitalization of $62.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.24, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.52.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The insurance provider reported $11.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.34 by $2.79. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 12.88% and a return on equity of 20.70%. The firm had revenue of $12.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.13 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.15 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Travelers Companies will post 17.02 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, January 21st that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the insurance provider to purchase up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other Travelers Companies news, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 1,803 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.55, for a total transaction of $522,058.65. Following the sale, the insider owned 255,086 shares in the company, valued at approximately $73,860,151.30. This trade represents a 0.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel S. Frey sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.25, for a total transaction of $6,956,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 26,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,493,829. The trade was a 48.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 54,435 shares of company stock valued at $15,366,736. 1.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Travelers Companies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Members Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $203,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 836 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $242,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Enterprises LLC bought a new position in Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $237,000. WPG Advisers LLC grew its holdings in Travelers Companies by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 340 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 1,949 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $541,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. 82.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Travelers Companies

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.