Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is Travelers Companies (TRV) a Good Value Investor Pick?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. After all, who wouldn’t want to find stocks that are either flying under the radar and are compelling buys, or offer up tantalizing discounts when compared to fair value?

One way to find these companies is by looking at several key metrics and financial ratios, many of which are crucial in the value stock selection process. Let’s put The Travelers Companies, Inc. (TRV - Free Report) stock into this equation and find out if it is a good choice for value-oriented investors right now, or if investors subscribing to this methodology should look elsewhere for top picks:

PE Ratio

A key metric that value investors always look at is the Price to Earnings Ratio, or PE for short. This shows us how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings in a given stock, and is easily one of the most popular financial ratios in the world. The best use of the PE ratio is to compare the stock’s current PE ratio with: a) where this ratio has been in the past; b) how it compares to the average for the industry/sector; and c) how it compares to the market as a whole.

On this front, The Travelers Companies has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 16.08, as you can see in the chart below:


 
This level actually compares favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 19.54. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, The Travelers Companies’ current PE level puts it above its midpoint of 11.67 over the past five years, with the number having risen rapidly over the past few months. However, the current level stands below the highs for the stock, suggesting that it can be a solid entry point.


 
Moreover, the stock’s PE also compares unfavorably with the Zacks Finance Market sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 14.58. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively overvalued right now, compared to its peers.


 
We should also point out that Sun Life Financial has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of 14.44, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for The Travelers Companies’ stock in the near term too.

P/S Ratio

Another key metric to note is the Price/Sales ratio. This approach compares a given stock’s price to its total sales, where a lower reading is generally considered better. Some people like this metric more than other value-focused ones because it looks at sales, something that is far harder to manipulate with accounting tricks than earnings.

Right now, The Travelers Companies has a P/S ratio of about 1.13. This is much lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.38 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is well below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.


 
Broad Value Outlook

In aggregate, The Travelers Companies currently has a Value Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes The Travelers Companies a solid choice for value investors.

For example, the PEG ratio for The Travelers Companies is just 1.56, a level that is lower than the industry average of 1.88. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Additionally, its P/CF ratio (another great indicator of value) comes in at 4.76, which is better than the industry average of 14.21. Clearly, TRV is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.

What About the Stock Overall?

Though, The Travelers Companies might be a good choice for value investors, there are plenty of other factors to consider before investing in this name. In particular, it is worth noting that the company has a Growth Score of D and Momentum Score of F. This gives TRV a Zacks VGM score — or its overarching fundamental grade — of C. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)

Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been disappointing. The current year has seen one upward revision in the past sixty days compared to seven downward revisions, while the full year 2020 estimate has also seen one upward revision compared to seven downward revisions in the same time period.

The current year consensus estimate declined 10.4% in the past two months, whereas the full year 2020 estimate fell 5.8%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:

The Travelers Companies, Inc. Price and Consensus

Owing to such bearish estimate trends, the stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which is why we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.

Bottom Line

The Travelers Companies is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. However, with a sluggish industry rank (bottom 42% out of more than 250 industries) and a
Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall. In fact, over the past two years, the broader industry has underperformed the market at large, as you can see below:


 
So, value investors might want to wait for estimates and analyst sentiment to turn around in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.

7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days

Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers “Most Likely for Early Price Pops.”

Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +24.6% per year. So be sure to give these hand-picked 7 your immediate attention.

See them now >>


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


The Travelers Companies, Inc. (TRV) - free report >>

Published in