The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV Shares Sold by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group cut its stake in The Travelers Companies by 7.4%, selling 66,570 shares and finishing the quarter with 831,785 shares (about a 0.37% stake) worth roughly $241.27 million.
• Travelers delivered a strong quarter — $11.13 EPS vs. $8.34 expected and $12.43 billion in revenue — and its board authorized a $5.0 billion share buyback (up to 8.3% of shares) while maintaining a $1.10 quarterly dividend ($4.40 annual, ~1.5% yield).
• Insider selling has been notable, with insiders offloading 92,845 shares (about $27.24 million) over the last 90 days, including large sales by EVPs Jeffrey Klenk and Michael Klein.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. decreased its position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 7.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 831,785 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 66,570 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 0.37% of Travelers Companies worth $241,268,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 1,820.0% in the second quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 134.1% in the third quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Clayton Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. boosted its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 65.3% in the 3rd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 119 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.45% of the company's stock.

Travelers Companies Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:TRV opened at $297.69 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $240.44 and a fifty-two week high of $313.12. The stock's 50-day moving average is $298.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $287.30. The stock has a market cap of $63.30 billion, a PE ratio of 10.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.51.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The insurance provider reported $11.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.34 by $2.79. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 20.70% and a net margin of 12.88%.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 business posted $9.15 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Dividend Announcement

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

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Travelers Companies from $302.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Argus upgraded shares of Travelers Companies to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $315.00 to $304.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $312.62.

Insider Transactions at Travelers Companies

In other 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 transaction of $4,675,516.24. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,075 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,699,602.75. This trade represents a 73.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $301.18, for a total value of $3,011,800.00. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 92,845 shares of company stock valued at $27,239,631 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.46% of the company's stock.

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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