Vanguard Group Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV)

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,693,069 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 148,012 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 0.09% of Travelers Companies worth $4,132,313,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwest Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Operose Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the third quarter worth about $43,000. 82.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on TRV. HSBC raised their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $218.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $230.00 to $225.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $237.00 to $230.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $240.00 target price on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Travelers Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $222.65.

Insider Transactions at Travelers Companies

In other news, CFO Daniel S. Frey sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.90, for a total value of $1,064,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 18,515 shares in the company, valued at $3,941,843.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Daniel S. Frey sold 5,000 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.90, for a total value of $1,064,500.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 18,515 shares in the company, valued at $3,941,843.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 3,635 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.68, for a total transaction of $776,726.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,298,106. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 18,635 shares of company stock worth $3,980,827. Insiders own 1.33% of the company’s stock.

Travelers Companies Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of Travelers Companies stock opened at $208.17 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.34. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $157.33 and a 52-week high of $232.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.62. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $214.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $210.10.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 17th. The insurance provider reported $4.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.75 by ($0.06). Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 13.94% and a net margin of 7.32%. The firm had revenue of $11.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.11 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.86 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. This is a boost from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 10th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.02%. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.20%.

Travelers Companies Company Profile

The Travelers Companies, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides a range of commercial and personal property, and casualty insurance products and services to businesses, government units, associations, and individuals in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Business Insurance, Bond & Specialty Insurance, and Personal Insurance.