Teacher Retirement System of Texas Lowers Stock Position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas cut its position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 65.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 117,019 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 217,034 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned 0.05% of Travelers Companies worth $30,947,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new stake in Travelers Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new position in Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. 82.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

Shares of TRV stock traded up $6.79 on Friday, hitting $264.13. 859,525 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,286,314. The firm's 50 day moving average is $267.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $255.28. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $202.69 and a one year high of $277.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.66 billion, a PE ratio of 14.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

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

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th were given a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. This is an increase from Travelers Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Travelers Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.95%.

Insider Transactions at Travelers Companies

In related news, CFO Daniel S. Frey sold 20,286 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $273.48, for a total transaction of $5,547,815.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 26,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,365,363.36. The trade was a 42.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Maria Olivo sold 36,199 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 163,869 shares of company stock valued at $44,868,201. 1.46% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on TRV. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $288.00 to $296.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. HSBC lowered Travelers Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $270.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, March 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Travelers Companies from $290.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. UBS Group cut their target price on Travelers Companies from $270.00 to $267.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Travelers Companies from $287.00 to $280.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $271.11.

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.