Chubb Limited (NYSE:CB) Short Interest Up 10.2% in April

Chubb Limited (NYSE:CB) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,600,000 shares, an increase of 10.2% from the March 31st total of 2,360,000 shares. Approximately 0.6% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,730,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.5 days.

Chubb Price Performance

Chubb stock opened at $249.22 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $252.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $236.17. Chubb has a one year low of $183.71 and a one year high of $260.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market cap of $101.18 billion, a PE ratio of 11.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.62.

Chubb (NYSE:CB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $5.41 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.29 by $0.12. Chubb had a return on equity of 16.29% and a net margin of 17.99%. The firm had revenue of $12.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.75 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.41 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Chubb will post 21.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chubb Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.38%. Chubb’s payout ratio is 15.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on CB shares. TD Cowen started coverage on Chubb in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $254.00 price target for the company. UBS Group raised their price objective on Chubb from $245.00 to $256.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. HSBC reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $270.00 price objective (down from $275.00) on shares of Chubb in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Raymond James raised their price objective on Chubb from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Chubb from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $266.89.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider John J. Lupica sold 34,464 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $258.92, for a total transaction of $8,923,418.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 130,937 shares in the company, valued at $33,902,208.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider John J. Lupica sold 34,464 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $258.92, for a total transaction of $8,923,418.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 130,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $33,902,208.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy Alan Boroughs sold 33,150 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.11, for a total value of $8,456,896.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 50,486 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,879,483.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 116,043 shares of company stock worth $29,766,694. 0.86% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chubb

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Chubb during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. ZRC Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Chubb during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Chubb during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new stake in shares of Chubb during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Northwest Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Chubb during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. 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.