Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Purchases 10,031 Shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV)

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. significantly increased its stake in The Travelers Companies by 702.5%, owning 11,459 shares worth approximately $3 million after acquiring an additional 10,031 shares in Q1.
• The latest earnings report indicated that Travelers Companies achieved $6.51 EPS, surpassing estimates by $2.99 and reflecting a 7.4% revenue growth year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.10 per share, with a yield of 1.7% and a dividend payout ratio of 19.46%, payable on September 30th.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 702.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,459 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 10,031 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $3,030,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 700.0% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.45% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Travelers Companies news, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 35,456 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $273.78, for a total transaction of $9,707,143.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 262,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,820,433.62. This represents a 11.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Daniel S. Frey sold 20,286 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $273.48, for a total transaction of $5,547,815.28. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 26,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,365,363.36. The trade was a 42.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 175,374 shares of company stock valued at $47,929,912. 1.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Travelers Companies Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of Travelers Companies stock traded up $0.97 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $263.97. 156,368 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,339,183. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $207.32 and a 1-year high of $277.83. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $263.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $258.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.43 billion, a PE ratio of 11.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.51.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The insurance provider reported $6.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.52 by $2.99. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 10.97% and a return on equity of 18.68%. The company had revenue of $11.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.51 EPS. Travelers Companies's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 10th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Travelers Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 19.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on TRV shares. Morgan Stanley set a $269.00 target price on shares of Travelers Companies and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Travelers Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $275.00 to $284.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $260.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $279.82.

Travelers Companies Company Profile

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.