The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) Holdings Cut by Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC

Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC lowered its position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 2.4% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 36,825 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 900 shares during the quarter. Travelers Companies makes up 4.1% of Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $9,739,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TRV. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Travelers Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new position in Travelers Companies during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. 82.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TRV has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised Travelers Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Travelers Companies from $270.00 to $267.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $288.00 to $296.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $269.00 price target on shares of Travelers Companies and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $271.11.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Travelers Companies news, CFO Daniel S. Frey sold 20,286 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $273.48, for a total value of $5,547,815.28. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 26,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,365,363.36. The trade was a 42.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.50, for a total transaction of $549,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 255,086 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $70,021,107. This trade represents a 0.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 163,869 shares of company stock worth $44,868,201 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.46% of the company’s stock.

Travelers Companies Price Performance

Shares of TRV opened at $263.17 on Monday. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $200.21 and a one year high of $277.83. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $264.17 and its 200-day moving average is $254.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.53.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $1.38. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 10.77% and a return on equity of 19.06%. The firm had revenue of $10.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.69 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. This is a positive change from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.95%.

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.