Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) Vice Chairman Sells $483,666.48 in Stock

Key Points

• Vice Chairman William Heyman sold 1,557 shares on April 28 at an average price of $310.64 for a total of $483,666.48, trimming his stake by 0.60% to 259,590 shares (≈$80.64M).
• The Board approved a $5.0 billion share buyback (up to 8.3% of shares) and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.25 per share ($5.00 annualized; ex-dividend June 10, paid June 30).
• Travelers beat Q1 expectations with EPS of $7.71 versus $6.80 estimated and revenue of $11.92 billion, reporting a 24.06% ROE and a 15.54% net margin.

The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) Vice Chairman William Heyman sold 1,557 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.64, for a total value of $483,666.48. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 259,590 shares of the company's stock, valued at $80,639,037.60. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Travelers Companies Price Performance

TRV stock traded down $7.88 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $302.14. 1,815,335 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,600,405. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The company has a market capitalization of $64.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.51. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $249.19 and a 52-week high of $313.12. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $300.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $289.29.

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

Travelers Companies declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, January 21st that allows the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the insurance provider to reacquire up to 8.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. 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 payout ratio is presently 14.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on TRV shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Travelers Companies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $304.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Argus raised Travelers Companies to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on Travelers Companies from $316.00 to $319.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised Travelers Companies to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Travelers Companies from $302.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $309.13.

Institutional Trading of Travelers Companies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Travelers Companies by 145.7% in the first quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 86 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Travelers Companies by 1,820.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC boosted 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 worth $27,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% 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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