Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Boosts Holdings in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV)

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 30.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,686 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 6,862 shares during the quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $5,655,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in Travelers Companies by 15.8% in the third quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,575,759 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $747,267,000 after purchasing an additional 623,974 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Travelers Companies by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,431,825 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $560,451,000 after acquiring an additional 29,989 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in Travelers Companies by 19.6% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,284,693 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $615,847,000 after acquiring an additional 539,294 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in Travelers Companies by 4.3% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,285,751 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $373,286,000 after acquiring an additional 95,153 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 2.3% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,411,106 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $257,853,000 after purchasing an additional 31,165 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Travelers Companies

In other Travelers Companies news, SVP Paul E. Munson sold 2,121 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.86, for a total value of $451,476.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 719 shares in the company, valued at $153,046.34. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Daniel S. Frey sold 38,000 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.55, for a total value of $8,076,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,147,865.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Paul E. Munson sold 2,121 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.86, for a total transaction of $451,476.06. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 719 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $153,046.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 109,775 shares of company stock valued at $23,343,903 over the last three months. 1.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on TRV. HSBC boosted their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $218.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Travelers Companies from $222.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Friday, April 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Travelers Companies from $186.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $241.00 to $231.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $220.78.

Travelers Companies Stock Up 1.7 %

TRV traded up $3.65 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $214.07. 1,918,462 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,263,317. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $221.79 and a 200 day moving average of $196.88. The firm has a market cap of $49.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $157.33 and a 12-month high of $232.75.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 17th. The insurance provider reported $4.69 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.75 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $11.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.62 billion. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 13.94% and a net margin of 7.32%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.11 EPS. Analysts predict that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.05 per share. This is a boost from Travelers Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 7th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.96%. Travelers Companies's payout ratio is presently 29.72%.

Travelers Companies Company 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.