Mizuho Securities USA LLC Trims Position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV)

Key Points

• Mizuho Securities USA LLC has reduced its holdings in The Travelers Companies, Inc. by 15.6%, now owning 18,154 shares valued at approximately $4.8 million.
• Insider transactions have been significant, with executives collectively selling 175,374 shares valued over $47.9 million, indicating a 23.46% decrease in ownership for one executive.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on TRV, with price targets ranging from $274 to $316, and a consensus rating of "Hold" for the stock.

Mizuho Securities USA LLC trimmed its holdings in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 15.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 18,154 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 3,362 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $4,801,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 700.0% in the first 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 during the last quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. 82.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on TRV shares. Barclays lowered shares of Travelers Companies from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $280.00 to $274.00 in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $304.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $275.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Citigroup reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Travelers Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $282.69.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Maria Olivo sold 36,199 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.20, for a total value of $9,925,765.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 118,116 shares in the company, valued at $32,387,407.20. This represents a 23.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Avrohom J. Kess sold 23,434 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $273.93, for a total transaction of $6,419,275.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 48,387 shares in the company, valued at $13,254,650.91. This represents a 32.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 175,374 shares of company stock valued at $47,929,912. Corporate insiders own 1.46% of the company's stock.

Travelers Companies Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of TRV opened at $265.00 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm's 50-day moving average is $263.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $258.67. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $208.63 and a twelve month high of $277.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.72, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.51.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The insurance provider reported $6.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.52 by $2.99. The company had revenue of $11.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.02 billion. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 10.97% and a return on equity of 18.68%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.51 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 10th will be given a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 10th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Travelers Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.46%.

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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