Churchill Financial Advisors LLC Takes $1.58 Million Position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Key Points

• Churchill Financial Advisors LLC opened a new position in Travelers Companies, buying 5,436 shares valued at about $1.58 million in the fourth quarter.
• Travelers reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $7.71 topping estimates and revenue of $11.92 billion beating forecasts, even though revenue was slightly down year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.25 per share from $1.10, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with an average target price of $309.13.

Churchill Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 5,436 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,577,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension purchased a new position in Travelers Companies during the 4th quarter worth $24,167,000. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co boosted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 21.7% during the 3rd quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 48,247 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $13,472,000 after acquiring an additional 8,600 shares during the last quarter. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. purchased a new position in Travelers Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $7,955,000. National Pension Service boosted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 746,883 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $208,545,000 after acquiring an additional 13,120 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co boosted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 24.9% during the 3rd quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 34,871 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $9,737,000 after acquiring an additional 6,954 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.45% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Travelers Companies

In other Travelers Companies news, EVP Diane Kurtzman sold 2,867 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.45, for a total transaction of $869,991.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,298 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,607,678.10. This trade represents a 35.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 1,557 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.64, for a total value of $483,666.48. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 259,590 shares of the company's stock, valued at $80,639,037.60. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 27,573 shares of company stock valued at $8,427,646 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.39% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on TRV. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $312.00 to $331.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $259.00 to $257.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $340.00 to $342.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $309.13.

Travelers Companies Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE TRV opened at $306.67 on Monday. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $249.19 and a 12 month high of $313.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.12, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $299.45 and a 200-day moving average of $293.05.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $7.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.80 by $0.91. The business had revenue of $11.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.11 billion. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 24.06% and a net margin of 15.54%.Travelers Companies's revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.91 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 28.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be issued 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 10th. Travelers Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.09%.

About Travelers Companies

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.

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