Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Increases Stake in The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Key Points

• Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in The Travelers Companies by 6.4%, acquiring an additional 10,344 shares in the second quarter, bringing its total ownership to 172,666 shares valued at approximately $45.6 million.
• Travelers Companies recently reported earnings of $6.51 per share for the quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $3.52, while revenue rose 7.4% year-over-year to $11.54 billion.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $1.10, with an annualized yield of 1.6%, to be paid on September 30th to stockholders of record on September 10th.

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 172,666 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 10,344 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC owned approximately 0.08% of Travelers Companies worth $45,606,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 700.0% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Flaharty Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Travelers Companies in the first quarter worth about $32,000. 82.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Travelers Companies

In other news, EVP Mojgan M. Lefebvre sold 16,820 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.54, for a total transaction of $4,668,222.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Gregory C. Toczydlowski sold 11,505 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.12, for a total value of $3,061,710.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,416 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,900,865.92. This represents a 38.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.46% of the company's stock.

Travelers Companies Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of TRV traded down $0.84 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $277.07. 2,499,830 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,101,144. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.38 billion, a PE ratio of 12.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.53. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $224.62 and a 1-year high of $280.70. The business has a fifty day moving average of $268.10 and a 200-day moving average of $264.11.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The insurance provider reported $6.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.52 by $2.99. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 18.68% and a net margin of 10.97%.The company had revenue of $11.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.51 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 10th will be issued a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 10th. Travelers Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.46%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays downgraded shares of Travelers Companies from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $280.00 to $274.00 in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Travelers Companies from $304.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Travelers Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Travelers Companies to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on Travelers Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $291.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $284.56.

Travelers Companies Profile

The Travelers Companies, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides a range of commercial and personal property, and casualty insurance products and services to businesses, government units, associations, and individuals in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Business Insurance, Bond & Specialty Insurance, and Personal Insurance.