Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Sells 17,258 Shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Key Points

• Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI cut its Travelers Companies stake by 46.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 17,258 shares and leaving it with 19,765 shares valued at about $5.73 million.
• Travelers reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $7.71 versus the $6.80 consensus and revenue of $11.92 billion, while maintaining solid profitability metrics.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.25 per share from $1.10 and also has a $5 billion share repurchase authorization in place, signaling capital returns to shareholders.

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI lowered its position in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 46.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,765 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 17,258 shares during the quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI's holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $5,733,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Travelers Companies by 1,820.0% in the second quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Navalign LLC bought a new stake in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. eCIO Inc. bought a new stake in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Optima Capital LLC bought a new stake in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors own 82.45% of the company's stock.

Travelers Companies Stock Up 0.5%

TRV stock opened at $299.91 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $299.15 and a 200-day moving average of $291.57. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $249.19 and a fifty-two week high of $313.12.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last released 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. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 24.06% and a net margin of 15.54%.The business had revenue of $11.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.91 earnings per share. Travelers Companies's revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 28.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 10th. This is a boost from Travelers Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Travelers Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.09%.

Travelers Companies announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, January 21st that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the insurance provider to reacquire up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on Travelers Companies from $316.00 to $319.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Monday, April 20th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Travelers Companies from $297.00 to $314.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Brean Capital assumed coverage on Travelers Companies in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (a-)" rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $309.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at Travelers Companies

In related news, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.77, for a total transaction of $3,037,700.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,125 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,707,621.25. This represents a 18.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 1,557 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.64, for a total value of $483,666.48. Following the sale, the insider owned 259,590 shares in the company, valued at $80,639,037.60. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 27,573 shares of company stock valued at $8,427,646 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.39% of the company's stock.

Travelers Companies Company Profile

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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