Independent Advisor Alliance Reduces Stock Position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Key Points

• Independent Advisor Alliance reduced its Travelers Companies stake by 11.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 3,424 shares and leaving it with 27,400 shares worth about $7.95 million.
• Travelers reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $7.71 versus estimates of $6.80 and revenue of $11.92 billion versus expectations of $11.11 billion.
• The company also boosted shareholder returns by authorizing a $5 billion share buyback and raising its quarterly dividend to $1.25 per share, up from $1.10.

Independent Advisor Alliance cut its holdings in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 11.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 27,400 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 3,424 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance's holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $7,948,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TRV. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. lifted 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 acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. eCIO Inc. acquired a new position in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Optima Capital LLC acquired a new position in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 82.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Travelers Companies news, insider Avrohom J. Kess sold 6,735 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.78, for a total value of $2,079,633.30. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 48,737 shares in the company, valued at $15,049,010.86. This trade represents a 12.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 259,590 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,639,037.60. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 27,573 shares of company stock valued at $8,427,646. 1.39% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Travelers Companies Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE TRV opened at $298.36 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $63.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.88, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.50. 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 Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $249.19 and a 12-month high of $313.12. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $299.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $291.13.

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

Travelers Companies announced that its board has authorized a share buyback 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 purchase up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The business 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 $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 10th. This is an increase from Travelers Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Travelers Companies's payout ratio is 13.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Roth Mkm restated a "buy" rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (a-)" rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Friday. Mizuho decreased their price target on Travelers Companies from $315.00 to $304.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Argus upgraded Travelers Companies to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Two 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 given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $309.13.

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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