Groupe la Francaise Sells 9,322 Shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Key Points

• Groupe la Francaise reduced its Travelers stake by 35.6% in the second quarter, selling 9,322 shares and retaining 16,830 shares valued at approximately $5.56 million. Institutional investors collectively own 82.45% of TRV.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $354.26, despite several firms raising targets and Zacks upgrading the stock to “Strong Buy.”
• Travelers reported quarterly EPS of $10.04, well above the $5.41 consensus estimate, and announced a quarterly dividend of $1.25 per share, equivalent to a 1.4% yield.

Groupe la Francaise cut its stake in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 35.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,830 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 9,322 shares during the period. Groupe la Francaise's holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $5,556,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in TRV. Berman McAleer LLC raised its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. Berman McAleer LLC now owns 894 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $295,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Willner & Heller LLC grew its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 2.7% during the second quarter. Willner & Heller LLC now owns 1,206 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $398,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Spinnaker Trust grew its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 1.7% during the first quarter. Spinnaker Trust now owns 1,938 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $565,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Cim LLC increased its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Cim LLC now owns 8,145 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,363,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. increased its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 5,236 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,519,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.45% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on TRV. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $314.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Roth Capital increased their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $345.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Travelers Companies from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $316.00 to $322.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Travelers Companies to $340.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Travelers Companies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $354.26.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Travelers Companies news, EVP Maria Olivo sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.86, for a total value of $2,219,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 118,742 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,917,916.12. This trade represents a 4.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Diane Kurtzman sold 4,164 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.71, for a total value of $1,610,260.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,298 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,048,789.58. This represents a 44.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 58,667 shares of company stock valued at $21,830,989 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.39% of the company's stock.

Travelers Companies Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Travelers Companies stock opened at $369.01 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.33. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $252.26 and a 52-week high of $398.70. The company's 50 day moving average price is $364.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $323.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.44.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 17th. The insurance provider reported $10.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.41 by $4.63. The company had revenue of $12.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.26 billion. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 16.95% and a return on equity of 25.41%. The firm's revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.51 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 33.82 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 10th. Travelers Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.39%.

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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