Ames National Corp Buys New Stake in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV)

Ames National Corp purchased a new position in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 6,537 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,575,000. Travelers Companies accounts for about 1.0% of Ames National Corp's portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of TRV. Yoffe Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $1,202,000. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $4,627,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 10,000 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,414,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 43.2% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 159,172 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $38,343,000 after acquiring an additional 47,985 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 21,265 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $5,122,000 after acquiring an additional 3,046 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.45% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on TRV shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Travelers Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Barclays cut their price objective on Travelers Companies from $287.00 to $280.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Hsbc Global Res cut Travelers Companies from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Travelers Companies from $247.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $288.00 to $296.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $270.42.

Travelers Companies Stock Down 0.3%

Travelers Companies stock opened at $273.68 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $259.45 and a 200-day moving average of $252.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $200.21 and a twelve month high of $275.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.01 billion, a PE ratio of 12.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.53.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $1.38. The firm had revenue of $10.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.97 billion. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 10.77% and a return on equity of 19.06%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.69 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $1.10 per share. This is a boost from Travelers Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. Travelers Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.95%.

About Travelers Companies

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.

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