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Do You Like The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) At This P/E Ratio?

This article is written for those who want to get better at using price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). To keep it practical, we'll show how The Travelers Companies, Inc.'s (NYSE:TRV) P/E ratio could help you assess the value on offer. Based on the last twelve months, Travelers Companies's P/E ratio is 14.84. That means that at current prices, buyers pay $14.84 for every $1 in trailing yearly profits.

View our latest analysis for Travelers Companies

How Do I Calculate Travelers Companies's Price To Earnings Ratio?

The formula for P/E is:

Price to Earnings Ratio = Share Price ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)

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Or for Travelers Companies:

P/E of 14.84 = $138.93 ÷ $9.36 (Based on the year to December 2018.)

Is A High P/E Ratio Good?

A higher P/E ratio implies that investors pay a higher price for the earning power of the business. That is not a good or a bad thing per se, but a high P/E does imply buyers are optimistic about the future.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

If earnings fall then in the future the 'E' will be lower. That means even if the current P/E is low, it will increase over time if the share price stays flat. A higher P/E should indicate the stock is expensive relative to others -- and that may encourage shareholders to sell.

Notably, Travelers Companies grew EPS by a whopping 27% in the last year. Unfortunately, earnings per share are down 5.2% a year, over 3 years.

How Does Travelers Companies's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?

The P/E ratio indicates whether the market has higher or lower expectations of a company. We can see in the image below that the average P/E (18) for companies in the insurance industry is higher than Travelers Companies's P/E.

NYSE:TRV Price Estimation Relative to Market, April 19th 2019
NYSE:TRV Price Estimation Relative to Market, April 19th 2019

Its relatively low P/E ratio indicates that Travelers Companies shareholders think it will struggle to do as well as other companies in its industry classification. While current expectations are low, the stock could be undervalued if the situation is better than the market assumes. It is arguably worth checking if insiders are buying shares, because that might imply they believe the stock is undervalued.

A Limitation: P/E Ratios Ignore Debt and Cash In The Bank

Don't forget that the P/E ratio considers market capitalization. Thus, the metric does not reflect cash or debt held by the company. In theory, a company can lower its future P/E ratio by using cash or debt to invest in growth.

Spending on growth might be good or bad a few years later, but the point is that the P/E ratio does not account for the option (or lack thereof).

So What Does Travelers Companies's Balance Sheet Tell Us?

Travelers Companies has net debt worth just 6.1% of its market capitalization. The market might award it a higher P/E ratio if it had net cash, but its unlikely this low level of net borrowing is having a big impact on the P/E multiple.

The Bottom Line On Travelers Companies's P/E Ratio

Travelers Companies trades on a P/E ratio of 14.8, which is below the US market average of 18.2. The company hasn't stretched its balance sheet, and earnings growth was good last year. If the company can continue to grow earnings, then the current P/E may be unjustifiably low. Since analysts are predicting growth will continue, one might expect to see a higher P/E so it may be worth looking closer.

Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. If it is underestimating a company, investors can make money by buying and holding the shares until the market corrects itself. So this free report on the analyst consensus forecasts could help you make a master move on this stock.

But note: Travelers Companies may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a P/E ratio below 20).

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.