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Best Insurance stock - Travelers insurance earnings surpassing the Zacks Consensus : The Travelers Companies, Inc. (TRV - Analyst Report ) reported earnings of 72 cents per share in the fourth quarter of 2012, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 4 cents per share. However, results plunged 51% from $1.48 earned in the year-ago quarter. Operating income of $278 million dipped 54% the reported quarter. The year-over-year downside was largely attributable to higher catastrophe losses mostly due to Hurricane Sandy. However, higher underlying underwriting margins and higher net favorable prior-year reserve development limited the downside to some extent. Cat loss in the quarter was $689 million or $1.78 per share. Including net realized investment gains of $26 million or 6 cents per share, the company reported net income of $304 million or 78 cents per share, comparing unfavorably with net income of $618 million or $1.51 a share. The year-ago quarter included net realized investment...

Best Insurance Stock - Travelers stock prices rally today : Shares of Travelers Cos. rallied on Tuesday after the insurance company reported quarterly earnings that exceeded Wall Street�s expectations. The Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund XLF +0.41% , which tracks the performance of financial stocks in the S&P 500 SPX -0.28% , traded marginally higher in midmorning trade.   The broader U.S. stock market declined after data showed a decline in sales of existing homes in December. The S&P 500 slipped 0.3% to 1,481. Travelers TRV +2.63%  was the top gainer among S&P 500 financial stocks and the biggest gainer in the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA +0.12% , with its shares up nearly 3%. The insurer said its fourth-quarter profit slumped 51% as it racked up millions in claims from Hurricane Sandy , which hit the Northeastern U.S. in November. Still, the results were better than expected. See: Travelers fourth-quarter profit down 51% after Sandy. Another i...

Travelers insurance stock forecast 2013 : Shares of The Travelers Companies closed at $74.95 Monday, trading for 10.9 times the consensus 2013 earnings per share estimate of $6.85. The consensus 2014 earnings per share estimate is $7.06. The shares returned 25 percent during 2012. Based on a quarterly payout of 46 cents, the shares have a dividend yield of 2.45 percent. Travelers on Dec. 5 announced that its preliminary estimate of losses related to Sandy was $1.135 billion, net of reinsurance. The after -tax loss estimate was $650 million. The company is scheduled announce its fourth-quarter results on Jan. 22, with a consensus earnings estimate of seven cents a share, compared to earnings per share of $2.22 during the third quarter, and $1.48 during the fourth quarter of 2011. The company on Dec. 5 also said it intended to resume repurchasing common shares, which it had suspended temporarily after Sandy hit. For the first three quarters of 2012, Travelers reported an underwriting...