The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV Shares Sold by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Key Points

• Russell Investments cut its stake in The Travelers Companies by 18.6% in Q3, selling 104,632 shares and ending the period with 459,005 shares worth about $128.1 million.
• Senior insiders have been selling: EVP Michael Klein sold 10,000 shares at $301.18 and CEO Alan Schnitzer sold 55,733 shares at $294.70, with insiders offloading 92,845 shares (~$27.24M) over the last 90 days and now owning 1.46% of the company.
• Strong quarter and shareholder actions: Travelers beat estimates with $11.13 EPS and $12.43B revenue, and its board approved a $5.0 billion buyback (up to 8.3% of shares) while declaring a $1.10 quarterly dividend ($4.40 annualized, 1.5% yield).

Russell Investments Group Ltd. decreased its holdings in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 18.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 459,005 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 104,632 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.21% of Travelers Companies worth $128,095,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Inceptionr LLC increased its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 189.5% in the third quarter. Inceptionr LLC now owns 6,805 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,900,000 after buying an additional 4,454 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 23,328 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $6,514,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. PFG Advisors lifted its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 5,177 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,446,000 after buying an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Travelers Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $242,000. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG grew its stake in Travelers Companies by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG now owns 18,308 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $5,112,000 after acquiring an additional 402 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Travelers Companies

In other Travelers Companies news, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.18, for a total value of $3,011,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 33,638 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,131,092.84. This trade represents a 22.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 55,733 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 260,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,718,956.30. This represents a 17.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 92,845 shares of company stock valued at $27,239,631. Insiders own 1.46% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on TRV. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective 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. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $315.00 to $304.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Roth Mkm upped their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $307.00 to $285.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $304.33.

Travelers Companies Stock Down 1.1%

NYSE TRV opened at $303.02 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $291.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $283.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.33. The company has a market cap of $65.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.49. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $230.43 and a one year high of $313.12.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The insurance provider reported $11.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.34 by $2.79. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 12.88% and a return on equity of 20.70%. The company had revenue of $12.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.13 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.15 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, January 21st that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the insurance provider to reacquire up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Travelers Companies's payout ratio is presently 15.98%.

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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