MQS Management LLC Takes Position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV)

MQS Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,764 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $467,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of TRV. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new stake in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.45% of the company's stock.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

TRV stock opened at $254.26 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $267.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $255.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The company has a market capitalization of $57.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.84, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.51. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $202.95 and a fifty-two week high of $277.83.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $1.38. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 9.09% and a return on equity of 16.10%. The company had revenue of $10.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.69 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th were given a $1.10 dividend. This is a positive change from Travelers Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.73%. Travelers Companies's payout ratio is 23.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

TRV has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays downgraded Travelers Companies from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $280.00 to $274.00 in a report on Monday, July 7th. HSBC lowered shares of Travelers Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $270.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $260.00 to $264.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $269.00 target price on shares of Travelers Companies and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $271.00.

Insider Activity at Travelers Companies

In other news, EVP Maria Olivo sold 36,199 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.20, for a total transaction of $9,925,765.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 118,116 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,387,407.20. The trade was a 23.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Daniel S. Frey sold 20,286 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $273.48, for a total value of $5,547,815.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 26,932 shares in the company, valued at $7,365,363.36. This represents a 42.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 163,869 shares of company stock worth $44,868,201. 1.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Travelers Companies

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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