Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Buys 5,508 Shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Key Points

• Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its stake in The Travelers Companies, Inc. by 11.3%, holding 54,430 shares worth approximately $14.4 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Several institutional investors have also adjusted their positions in Travelers Companies, with Vanguard Group Inc. increasing its stake by 0.5%, now owning over 21.7 million shares.
• The Travelers Companies announced a quarterly dividend of $1.10 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 1.6%.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. grew its stake in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 11.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 54,430 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,508 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $14,404,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of TRV. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,277 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $789,000 after purchasing an additional 387 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $276,000. MML Investors Services LLC raised its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 21,849 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $5,263,000 after purchasing an additional 1,284 shares during the period. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $77,000. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 48.9% in the fourth quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 5,395 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,299,000 after purchasing an additional 1,772 shares during the period. 82.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Travelers Companies Price Performance

Shares of TRV traded up $1.4190 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $276.3390. The company had a trading volume of 1,457,579 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,199,581. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $263.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $260.16. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $218.57 and a 1-year high of $279.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.33. The company has a market capitalization of $62.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.51.

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

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 10th will be issued a $1.10 dividend. 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 19.46%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Avrohom J. Kess sold 23,434 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $273.93, for a total value of $6,419,275.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 48,387 shares in the company, valued at $13,254,650.91. This trade represents a 32.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Daniel S. Frey sold 20,286 shares of the firm'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. This trade represents a 42.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 175,374 shares of company stock worth $47,929,912 over the last quarter. 1.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on TRV. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Travelers Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $264.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $291.00 price target on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $304.00 to $316.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Barclays downgraded shares of Travelers Companies from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $280.00 to $274.00 in a research note on Monday, July 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $284.56.

About Travelers Companies

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.