HighTower Advisors LLC Acquires 4,163 Shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 173,341 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,163 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $48,401,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of TRV. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Travelers Companies by 1,820.0% during the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Travelers Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Travelers Companies by 200.0% during the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 104 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the period. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the third quarter worth about $28,000. 82.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Travelers Companies Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of Travelers Companies stock opened at $298.84 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.66 billion, a PE ratio of 10.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.51. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $230.43 and a 1-year high of $304.40. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $286.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $279.82.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The insurance provider reported $11.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.34 by $2.79. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 20.70% and a net margin of 12.88%.The company had revenue of $12.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.15 earnings per share. Travelers Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Travelers Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. Travelers Companies’s payout ratio is presently 15.98%.

Travelers Companies announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, January 21st that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the insurance provider to buy up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Travelers Companies from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Roth Mkm upped their price target on Travelers Companies from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $315.00 to $304.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised Travelers Companies to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $317.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $303.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Travelers Companies news, EVP Maria Olivo sold 10,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.75, for a total transaction of $3,127,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 117,596 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,366,997. This trade represents a 8.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 16,712 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.77, for a total transaction of $4,675,516.24. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,075 shares in the company, valued at $1,699,602.75. This represents a 73.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 101,765 shares of company stock valued at $29,877,543. Insiders own 1.46% 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.