QRG Capital Management Inc. Purchases 4,548 Shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Key Points

• QRG Capital Management boosted its stake in The Travelers Companies (TRV) by 8.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 4,548 shares to hold 56,639 shares valued at about $16.43 million.
• Investor-friendly moves: Travelers raised its quarterly dividend to $1.25 (from $1.10) and its board approved a $5.0 billion share repurchase plan authorizing up to ~8.3% of shares to be bought back.
• Strong quarterly results but neutral street view: Travelers reported $7.71 EPS vs. $6.80 expected and $11.92B revenue, yet the MarketBeat consensus remains a "Hold" with an average price target of $309.13.

QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 8.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 56,639 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,548 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $16,429,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC lifted its stake in Travelers Companies by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 1,949 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $541,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust lifted its stake in Travelers Companies by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 10,036 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $2,911,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Travelers Companies by 1.0% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,093 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,143,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Ibex Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in Travelers Companies by 1.4% in the third quarter. Ibex Wealth Advisors now owns 2,889 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $807,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, L2 Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Travelers Companies by 4.1% in the third quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 1,044 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $292,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. 82.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on TRV. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Travelers Companies from $297.00 to $314.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Travelers Companies from $302.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Argus raised Travelers Companies to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Travelers Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $309.13.

Insider Activity at Travelers Companies

In other news, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 6,414 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.06, for a total transaction of $1,956,654.84. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,075 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,853,239.50. This represents a 51.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Maria Olivo sold 10,400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.75, for a total value of $3,127,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 117,596 shares in the company, valued at $35,366,997. The trade was a 8.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 103,706 shares of company stock valued at $30,991,761 over the last three months. 1.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Travelers Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:TRV opened at $301.49 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $249.19 and a twelve month high of $313.12. The stock's 50 day moving average is $300.75 and its 200-day moving average is $289.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.97, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.50.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $7.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.80 by $0.91. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 24.06% and a net margin of 15.54%.The company had revenue of $11.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.91 earnings per share. Travelers Companies's revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 28.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 10th. This is a positive change from Travelers Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Travelers Companies's payout ratio is currently 14.88%.

Travelers Companies announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, January 21st that authorizes the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the insurance provider to repurchase up to 8.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Travelers Companies Company Profile

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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