Merit Financial Group LLC Has $4.20 Million Stock Holdings in The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stock holdings in The Travelers Companies by 24.9%, now owning 15,688 shares worth approximately $4.20 million.
• Travelers Companies recently reported a quarterly EPS of $6.51, exceeding expectations and indicating a revenue increase of 7.4% year-over-year.
• The company announced a $1.10 quarterly dividend, representing a 1.6% yield and a payout ratio of 19.46%.

Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 24.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,688 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,132 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $4,197,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of TRV. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in Travelers Companies by 700.0% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Missouri Trust & Investment Co increased its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 122.2% during the 2nd quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 100 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Flaharty Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Nova Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Travelers Companies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 82.45% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Travelers Companies

In other Travelers Companies news, EVP Gregory C. Toczydlowski sold 11,505 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 18,416 shares in the company, valued at $4,900,865.92. The trade was a 38.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Mojgan M. Lefebvre sold 16,820 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 22nd. The shares were 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 company insiders.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

NYSE TRV opened at $282.70 on Tuesday. The company's fifty day moving average is $272.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $265.71. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $224.62 and a 52-week high of $286.17. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $63.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.50, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.51.

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

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 10th were given a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 10th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Travelers Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.46%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

TRV has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b+)" rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Monday, September 15th. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Evercore ISI reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $264.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, UBS Group upped 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $284.56.

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.

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