Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) EVP Jeffrey Klenk Sells 6,414 Shares

The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) EVP Jeffrey Klenk sold 6,414 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.06, for a total transaction of $1,956,654.84. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,853,239.50. This represents a 51.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Travelers Companies Stock Up 0.2%

TRV stock opened at $301.39 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $64.09 billion, a PE ratio of 8.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.35. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $299.71 and its 200 day moving average is $288.37. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $249.19 and a one year high of $313.12.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $7.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.80 by $0.91. The company had revenue of $11.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.11 billion. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 15.54% and a return on equity of 24.06%. The firm’s revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.91 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 27.37 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This is a boost from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 10th. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.09%.

Travelers Companies announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, January 21st that permits the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the insurance provider to buy up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on TRV. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $312.00 to $331.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Travelers Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $304.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Travelers Companies to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $315.00 to $304.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $309.13.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Travelers Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,109,933 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $6,413,207,000 after purchasing an additional 110,311 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,000,457 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,641,093,000 after purchasing an additional 486,861 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 1.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,746,231 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,162,917,000 after purchasing an additional 119,481 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,793,750 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,100,416,000 after purchasing an additional 85,298 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,361,112 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $974,993,000 after purchasing an additional 81,497 shares in the last quarter. 82.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Travelers Companies Company Profile

The Travelers Companies, Inc (NYSE: TRV) is a leading provider of property and casualty insurance products and services. The company underwrites a broad range of commercial and personal insurance lines, offering coverage designed to protect individuals, small and midsize businesses, and large corporate clients against property loss, liability, and other operational risks. Travelers is known for combining underwriting, claims management and risk control services to help clients prevent losses and recover when incidents occur.

On the commercial side, Travelers writes primary and specialty coverages including property, general liability, commercial auto, workers’ compensation, professional and management liability, surety and inland marine.