Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Buys 4,727 Shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Key Points

• Sequoia Financial Advisors increased its stake in The Travelers Companies by 18.7%, buying 4,727 shares to hold 30,054 shares worth about $8.72 million at quarter-end, while institutional investors own roughly 82.45% of TRV.
• Travelers beat Q1 expectations with $7.71 EPS (vs. $6.80) and $11.92B revenue, and the board raised the quarterly dividend to $1.25 (annualized $5.00) while approving a $5 billion share buyback program.
• Insiders sold 27,573 shares in the last three months (about $8.43 million), including large EVP sales on April 20, leaving company insiders with just 1.39% ownership.

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 18.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 30,054 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 4,727 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $8,718,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of TRV. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,277 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $789,000 after buying an additional 387 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $276,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $382,000. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 13.9% during the 2nd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 68,537 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $18,336,000 after buying an additional 8,383 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 105,605 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $28,254,000 after buying an additional 2,117 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.45% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on TRV. Barclays raised their target price on Travelers Companies from $312.00 to $331.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on Travelers Companies from $316.00 to $319.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Brean Capital initiated coverage on Travelers Companies in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Travelers Companies from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price objective on Travelers Companies from $259.00 to $257.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $309.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 6,414 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.06, for a total value of $1,956,654.84. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,075 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,853,239.50. This trade represents a 51.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.77, for a total value of $3,037,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,125 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,707,621.25. This trade represents a 18.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 27,573 shares of company stock worth $8,427,646. 1.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Travelers Companies Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of TRV opened at $299.06 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $300.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $290.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.35. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $249.19 and a 52-week high of $313.12. The company has a market cap of $63.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.90, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.50.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $7.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.80 by $0.91. The company had revenue of $11.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.11 billion. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 24.06% and a net margin of 15.54%.The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.91 EPS. Analysts predict 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 paid a $1.25 dividend. This is an increase from Travelers Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 10th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Travelers Companies's payout ratio is 14.88%.

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

Travelers Companies 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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