Strs Ohio Buys Shares of 59,910 The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Key Points

• Strs Ohio has acquired a new stake in The Travelers Companies, Inc., buying 59,910 shares valued at approximately $15.84 million in the first quarter.
• Hedge funds now hold 82.45% of Travelers Companies' stock, with significant increases in stakes from firms like Vanguard Group and GAMMA Investing LLC.
• The Travelers Companies recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.10 per share, with an annualized dividend yield of 1.6%.

Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 59,910 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $15,844,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 700.0% during the 1st 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 during the period. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Travelers Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in Travelers Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new position in Travelers Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Flaharty Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Travelers Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. 82.45% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Gregory C. Toczydlowski sold 11,505 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.12, for a total transaction of $3,061,710.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,416 shares in the company, valued at $4,900,865.92. This trade represents a 38.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mojgan M. Lefebvre sold 16,820 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.54, for a total value of $4,668,222.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.46% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group raised their target price on Travelers Companies from $275.00 to $284.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Wolfe Research started coverage on Travelers Companies in a report on Monday. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Morgan Stanley set a $269.00 price target on Travelers Companies and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Travelers Companies from $264.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised Travelers Companies to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $284.56.

Travelers Companies Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE TRV traded down $2.53 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $276.40. 805,427 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,085,606. 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 Travelers Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $224.62 and a twelve month high of $280.70. The company has a market cap of $62.23 billion, a PE ratio of 12.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.53. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $266.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $263.67.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The insurance provider reported $6.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.52 by $2.99. The firm had revenue of $11.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.02 billion. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 18.68% and a net margin of 10.97%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.51 EPS. Research analysts predict that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 10th. Travelers Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.