Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Buys 5,177 Shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Key Points

• Earnings beat: Travelers reported Q EPS of $7.71 versus a $6.80 consensus and revenue of $11.92B (vs. $11.11B), with a reported net margin of 15.54% and ROE of 24.06%.
• Capital return and dividend hike: The board approved a $5.0 billion share buyback (about 8.3% of shares) and raised the quarterly dividend to $1.25 from $1.10 (a $5.00 annualized payout, ~1.7% yield).
• Notable insider selling: CEO Alan Schnitzer sold 55,733 shares (≈$16.4M) and insiders have sold 92,845 shares (~$27.24M) in the last 90 days, leaving insiders with 1.39% ownership.

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its stake in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 192,607 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,177 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned 0.09% of Travelers Companies worth $55,868,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings 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 worth $26,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. increased its stake in shares of 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 last quarter. Finally, eCIO Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.45% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Travelers Companies

In other Travelers Companies news, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 55,733 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 260,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at $76,718,956.30. This represents a 17.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 16,712 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.77, for a total value of $4,675,516.24. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,075 shares in the company, valued at $1,699,602.75. The trade was a 73.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 92,845 shares of company stock worth $27,239,631 in the last ninety days. 1.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on TRV shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Travelers Companies from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Brean Capital assumed coverage on Travelers Companies in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on Travelers Companies from $312.00 to $331.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $309.13.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

Shares of TRV stock opened at $300.78 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $63.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.95, a PEG ratio of 2.78 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $299.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $288.26. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $247.81 and a 52 week high of $313.12.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $7.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.80 by $0.91. The firm had revenue of $11.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.11 billion. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 15.54% and a return on equity of 24.06%. The business's revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.91 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 27.37 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be given a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 10th. This is a positive change from Travelers Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Travelers Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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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