Genus Capital Management Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Key Points

• Genus Capital Management boosted its stake in Travelers Companies by 650.8% in the fourth quarter, ending with 6,922 shares worth about $2.0 million.
• Travelers reported strong quarterly results, posting $7.71 EPS versus estimates of $6.80 and revenue of $11.92 billion, while analysts now see full-year EPS around 28.03.
• The insurer raised its quarterly dividend to $1.25 per share from $1.10, and the stock has also seen some insider selling even as institutional ownership remains high at 82.45%.

Genus Capital Management Inc. raised its position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 650.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,922 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 6,000 shares during the period. Genus Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $2,008,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC boosted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 1,949 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $541,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust boosted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 10,036 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $2,911,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Allegiance Financial Group Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Allegiance Financial Group Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,130 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $328,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Ibex Wealth Advisors boosted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ibex Wealth Advisors now owns 2,889 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $807,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, JSF Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. JSF Financial LLC now owns 3,944 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,144,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 82.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on TRV. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Friday, April 17th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $297.00 to $314.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $316.00 to $319.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Brean Capital initiated coverage on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $309.13.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

Travelers Companies stock opened at $306.67 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market capitalization of $65.21 billion, a PE ratio of 9.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.50. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $299.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $293.05. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $249.19 and a twelve month high of $313.12.

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

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. This is a positive change from Travelers Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 10th. Travelers Companies's payout ratio is currently 13.09%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 1,557 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.64, for a total transaction of $483,666.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 259,590 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $80,639,037.60. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 6,414 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.06, for a total transaction of $1,956,654.84. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,075 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,853,239.50. This trade represents a 51.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 27,573 shares of company stock valued at $8,427,646. 1.39% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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