Castellan Group Acquires Shares of 21,651 The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV)

Key Points

• Castellan Group has acquired 21,651 shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc., approximately worth $5.7 million, making it the firm's 23rd largest holding.
• Insiders at Travelers Companies have sold a total of 175,374 shares valued at nearly $48 million in the past ninety days, with significant decreases in ownership by executives.
• The company reported $6.51 EPS for the last quarter, significantly exceeding analyst estimates, along with a revenue increase of 7.4% year-over-year.

Castellan Group bought a new position in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 21,651 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,726,000. Travelers Companies makes up about 1.6% of Castellan Group's holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of TRV. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in Travelers Companies by 700.0% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Travelers Companies

In related news, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 15,180 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.87, for a total value of $4,142,166.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,657,685.25. This represents a 71.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Maria Olivo sold 36,199 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.20, for a total transaction of $9,925,765.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 118,116 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $32,387,407.20. The trade was a 23.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 175,374 shares of company stock valued at $47,929,912 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.46% of the company's stock.

Travelers Companies Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:TRV opened at $260.13 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $264.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $257.57. The company has a market cap of $58.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.51, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $206.43 and a one year high of $277.83.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 17th. The insurance provider reported $6.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.52 by $2.99. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 18.68% and a net margin of 10.97%. The company had revenue of $11.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.51 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 10th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Travelers Companies's payout ratio is presently 19.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on TRV. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Travelers Companies from $264.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Travelers Companies from $304.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Barclays lowered Travelers Companies from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $280.00 to $274.00 in a report on Monday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley set a $269.00 price objective on shares of Travelers Companies and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $260.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $279.82.

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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