The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV Shares Purchased by UBS Group AG

Key Points

• UBS Group AG increased its stake in The Travelers Companies by 5.3%, now owning 1,774,756 shares (≈0.80% of the company) valued at about $514.8 million.
• Travelers beat quarterly expectations, reporting $7.71 EPS vs. $6.80 expected and $11.92 billion in revenue, with a 15.54% net margin and 24.06% return on equity.
• The company boosted shareholder returns by raising the quarterly dividend to $1.25 ($5.00 annualized, 1.7% yield) and authorizing a $5.0 billion share buyback (~8.3% of shares outstanding).

UBS Group AG increased its holdings in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 5.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,774,756 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 89,159 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned 0.80% of Travelers Companies worth $514,786,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of TRV. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Travelers Companies by 1,820.0% during the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Travelers Companies by 134.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. boosted its stake in Travelers Companies by 65.3% during the 3rd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 119 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. eCIO Inc. acquired a new stake in Travelers Companies during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Optima Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Travelers Companies during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.45% of the company's stock.

Travelers Companies Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of Travelers Companies stock opened at $302.74 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $64.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.01, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.51. 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 one year low of $249.19 and a one year high of $313.12. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $300.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $288.80.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $7.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.80 by $0.91. The company had revenue of $11.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.11 billion. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 15.54% and a return on equity of 24.06%. Travelers Companies's quarterly revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.91 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 27.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 10th. This is an increase from Travelers Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. Travelers Companies's payout ratio is currently 13.09%.

Travelers Companies declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, January 21st that authorizes the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the insurance provider to reacquire up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on TRV. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $316.00 to $319.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $315.00 to $304.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Brean Capital initiated coverage on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $309.13.

Insider Activity at Travelers Companies

In other Travelers Companies news, EVP Maria Olivo sold 10,400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.75, for a total transaction of $3,127,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 117,596 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,366,997. This represents a 8.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 55,733 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $294.70, for a total transaction of $16,424,515.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 260,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at $76,718,956.30. This represents a 17.63% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 95,414 shares of company stock worth $28,428,461 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.39% of the company's stock.

About Travelers Companies

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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