Vanguard Group Inc. Buys 110,311 Shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Key Points

• Vanguard Group increased its stake in The Travelers Companies by 0.5% in Q4, buying 110,311 shares to hold 22,109,933 shares — roughly 9.91% of the company valued at about $6.41 billion, with institutional investors owning about 82.45% of the stock.
• Company insiders have been net sellers: two EVPs sold a combined 12,867 shares on April 20, and insiders disposed of 95,414 shares worth $28.43 million in the last quarter, leaving insiders with 1.39% ownership.
• Travelers topped quarterly estimates with $7.71 EPS (vs. $6.80 expected) and $11.92B revenue, while the board approved a $5.0 billion buyback (up to 8.3% of shares) and raised the quarterly dividend to $1.25 ($5.00 annual).

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 22,109,933 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 110,311 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 9.91% of Travelers Companies worth $6,413,207,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in TRV. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Travelers Companies by 1,820.0% during the second quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. raised its position in Travelers Companies by 65.3% during the third 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 in the last quarter. eCIO Inc. bought a new stake in Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Optima Capital LLC bought a new stake in Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. 82.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Travelers Companies

In related news, EVP Diane Kurtzman sold 2,867 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.45, for a total value of $869,991.15. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,298 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,607,678.10. The trade was a 35.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.77, for a total value of $3,037,700.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,125 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,707,621.25. This represents a 18.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 95,414 shares of company stock valued at $28,428,461 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.39% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on TRV shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Travelers Companies from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised 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. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Travelers Companies from $297.00 to $314.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Travelers Companies from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Travelers Companies to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $309.13.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

Travelers Companies stock opened at $302.74 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $300.14 and a 200-day moving average of $288.80. The company has a market capitalization of $64.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.51. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $249.19 and a 1 year high of $313.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.35.

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

Travelers Companies announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, January 21st that authorizes the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the insurance provider to purchase up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is a boost from Travelers Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 10th. Travelers Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.09%.

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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