Chubb Limited (NYSE:CB) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Chubb Limited (NYSE:CB) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,130,000 shares, a growth of 11.4% from the December 15th total of 2,810,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,540,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.0 days. Approximately 0.8% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CB has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Chubb from $294.00 to $296.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Chubb from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Chubb from $320.00 to $328.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. JMP Securities increased their price objective on shares of Chubb from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Chubb from $268.00 to $264.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Chubb currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $288.17.

Chubb Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of Chubb stock opened at $269.38 on Monday. Chubb has a 1 year low of $226.74 and a 1 year high of $302.05. The company has a market capitalization of $108.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.03, a P/E/G ratio of 5.65 and a beta of 0.67. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $277.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $278.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

Chubb (NYSE:CB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $5.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.98 by $0.74. The business had revenue of $13.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.16 billion. Chubb had a return on equity of 15.46% and a net margin of 18.32%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.95 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Chubb will post 21.93 EPS for the current year.

Chubb Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th were issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. Chubb’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.91%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chubb

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Trust Co. of Oklahoma lifted its stake in Chubb by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Oklahoma now owns 5,654 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,562,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Chubb by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,412 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,219,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Chubb in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $718,000. Mutual Advisors LLC boosted its position in Chubb by 25.5% in the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 2,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $567,000 after buying an additional 421 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Echo45 Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Chubb by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Echo45 Advisors LLC now owns 964 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.81% of the company’s stock.

About Chubb

Chubb Limited provides insurance and reinsurance products worldwide. The company's North America Commercial P&C Insurance segment offers commercial property, casualty, workers' compensation, package policies, risk management, financial lines, marine, construction, environmental, medical risk, cyber risk, surety, and casualty; and group accident and health insurance to large, middle market, and small commercial businesses.