The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV Shares Bought by AustralianSuper Pty Ltd

Key Points

• AustralianSuper Pty Ltd more than doubled its stake in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter, buying an additional 458,746 shares to bring its total to 908,559 shares worth about $263.5 million.
• Travelers reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $7.71 versus the $6.80 consensus and revenue of $11.92 billion, while also raising its quarterly dividend to $1.25 per share from $1.10.
• The company’s board authorized a $5 billion share buyback, and analysts currently have a consensus rating of Hold with an average price target of $309.13.

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its stake in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 102.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 908,559 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 458,746 shares during the quarter. Travelers Companies makes up approximately 1.2% of AustralianSuper Pty Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd owned 0.41% of Travelers Companies worth $263,537,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TRV. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 1,820.0% during the second quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. eCIO Inc. acquired a new stake in Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Optima Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. 82.45% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Travelers Companies

In related news, insider Avrohom J. Kess sold 6,735 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.78, for a total value of $2,079,633.30. Following the sale, the insider owned 48,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,049,010.86. This trade represents a 12.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 6,414 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 6,075 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,853,239.50. This represents a 51.36% decrease in their position. 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. Corporate insiders own 1.39% of the company's stock.

Travelers Companies Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE TRV opened at $298.32 on Friday. 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 1 year low of $249.19 and a 1 year high of $313.12. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $299.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $291.51. The firm has a market cap of $63.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.88, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.50.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $7.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $11.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.91 EPS. Travelers Companies's quarterly revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 28.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, January 21st that allows the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the insurance provider to buy up to 8.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is a boost from Travelers Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 10th. Travelers Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on TRV. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $297.00 to $314.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $316.00 to $319.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Travelers Companies from $312.00 to $331.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $309.13.

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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