Auxier Asset Management Trims Stake in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV)

Auxier Asset Management decreased its holdings in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 7.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 43,449 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 3,545 shares during the period. Travelers Companies comprises approximately 1.6% of Auxier Asset Management's holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Auxier Asset Management's holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $10,466,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter worth $485,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter worth $40,000. Vise Technologies Inc. increased its stake in Travelers Companies by 78.8% in the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 4,346 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,047,000 after purchasing an additional 1,916 shares during the period. JT Stratford LLC increased its stake in Travelers Companies by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. JT Stratford LLC now owns 6,044 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,456,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Novem Group purchased a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $388,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% of the company's stock.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Travelers Companies stock traded down $2.18 on Wednesday, reaching $273.70. 1,646,396 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,294,325. 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 $280.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.75, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $260.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $253.26.

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

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TRV has been the topic of several research reports. HSBC lowered Travelers Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $270.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Travelers Companies from $288.00 to $296.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Hsbc Global Res lowered Travelers Companies from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Travelers Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Travelers Companies from $287.00 to $280.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $271.11.

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.