Empowered Funds LLC Increases Position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC has increased its stake in The Travelers Companies, Inc. by 42.6%, acquiring a total of 28,910 shares, valued at approximately $7.65 million.
• Other hedge funds have also significantly boosted their positions in Travelers, with GAMMA Investing LLC increasing its stake by an astounding 31,132.9%, now holding over 2.2 million shares valued at $582.7 million.
• The consensus rating for Travelers Companies stock is currently "Hold", with an average target price of $284.56, following several analysts' ratings upgrades and downgrades.

Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 42.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 28,910 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 8,639 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $7,646,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 700.0% during the 1st 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 bought a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new position in Travelers Companies in the first quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. 82.45% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Travelers Companies Stock Down 0.2%

TRV stock traded down $0.61 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $278.83. The company's stock had a trading volume of 852,100 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,107,784. The company has a market cap of $62.77 billion, a PE ratio of 12.33, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.53. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $224.62 and a 12 month high of $280.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm's 50-day moving average is $266.13 and its 200-day moving average is $263.38.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The insurance provider reported $6.51 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 business had revenue of $11.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.51 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 10th will be issued a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 10th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Travelers Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.46%.

Insider Transactions at Travelers Companies

In related news, EVP Gregory C. Toczydlowski sold 11,505 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.12, for a total transaction of $3,061,710.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,900,865.92. The trade was a 38.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mojgan M. Lefebvre sold 16,820 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.54, for a total transaction of $4,668,222.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $291.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $264.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Morgan Stanley set a $269.00 target price on shares of Travelers Companies and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Barclays cut Travelers Companies from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $280.00 to $274.00 in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Travelers Companies from $275.00 to $284.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $284.56.

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.