The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV Shares Purchased by Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P.

Key Points

• Cantor Fitzgerald increased its stake in Travelers by 18.9% in Q4 to 54,054 shares (worth $15.68M), making TRV about 1.2% of its portfolio and its 23rd-largest holding.
• Q4 results beat expectations — Travelers reported EPS of $11.13 vs. $8.34 consensus and revenue of $12.43B, with a 20.7% ROE and analysts projecting roughly 17.02 EPS for the year.
• Shareholder returns boosted — the board authorized a $5.0B share buyback (≈8.3% of outstanding shares) and the company pays a $1.10 quarterly dividend (annualized $4.40, ~1.5% yield).

Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. increased its holdings in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 18.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 54,054 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 8,591 shares during the period. Travelers Companies makes up approximately 1.2% of Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P.'s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P.'s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $15,679,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Greenleaf Trust grew its holdings in Travelers Companies by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 10,036 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $2,911,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Travelers Companies by 1.0% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,093 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,143,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Ibex Wealth Advisors grew its holdings in Travelers Companies by 1.4% in the third quarter. Ibex Wealth Advisors now owns 2,889 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $807,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC grew its holdings in Travelers Companies by 0.4% in the third quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC now owns 9,737 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $2,719,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Travelers Companies by 0.8% in the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,109 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,367,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.45% of the company's stock.

Travelers Companies Stock Down 1.8%

TRV opened at $297.69 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm has a market cap of $63.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.81, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.51. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $240.44 and a 52 week high of $313.12. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $298.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $287.15.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 21st. The insurance provider reported $11.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $8.34 by $2.79. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 20.70% and a net margin of 12.88%.The business had revenue of $12.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.13 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $9.15 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, January 21st that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the insurance provider to purchase up to 8.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Travelers Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were paid a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 10th. Travelers Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.98%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Travelers Companies news, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 16,712 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.77, for a total value of $4,675,516.24. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,075 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,699,602.75. This trade represents a 73.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 55,733 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.70, for a total value of $16,424,515.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 260,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,718,956.30. The trade was a 17.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 92,845 shares of company stock valued at $27,239,631 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.46% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Travelers Companies from $302.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Barclays upped 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. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Travelers Companies from $316.00 to $319.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Travelers Companies from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $312.62.

Travelers Companies Company 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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