Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Increases Holdings in The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Key Points

• Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in Travelers Companies by 96.1% in the first quarter, owning 18,402 shares valued at approximately $4.87 million.
• Analysts have set new price targets for Travelers Companies, with ratings ranging from a "strong buy" to "hold," while raising price targets to as high as $316.00.
• The Travelers Companies announced a quarterly dividend of $1.10 per share, representing a yield of 1.6%, with the ex-dividend date set for September 10th.

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. grew its position in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 96.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,402 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 9,017 shares during the quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.'s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $4,867,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Bearing Point Capital LLC grew its position in Travelers Companies by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Bearing Point Capital LLC now owns 1,973 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $522,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its stake in Travelers Companies by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 4,428 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,171,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Y.D. More Investments Ltd boosted its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 13.9% in the first quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 319 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Smith Salley Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 0.6% during the first quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management now owns 7,321 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,936,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Financial Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Northern Financial Advisors Inc now owns 6,576 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,739,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.45% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TRV has been the subject of several analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Travelers Companies from $304.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Travelers Companies to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Morgan Stanley set a $269.00 target price on shares of Travelers Companies and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Travelers Companies from $264.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Barclays cut shares of Travelers Companies from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $280.00 to $274.00 in a report on Monday, July 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $284.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Daniel S. Frey sold 20,286 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $273.48, for a total value of $5,547,815.28. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 26,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,365,363.36. This represents a 42.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Maria Olivo sold 36,199 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.20, for a total value of $9,925,765.80. Following the completion of the transaction, 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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 175,374 shares of company stock valued at $47,929,912. Insiders own 1.46% of the company's stock.

Travelers Companies Price Performance

TRV traded up $3.5340 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $268.4540. 682,016 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,330,744. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $215.39 and a twelve month high of $277.83. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $262.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $259.57. 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 company has a market cap of $60.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.87, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.51.

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

Travelers Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 10th will be issued 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 payout ratio 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.