Erste Asset Management GmbH Sells 8,614 Shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Erste Asset Management GmbH trimmed its holdings in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 38.5% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 13,749 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 8,614 shares during the quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $3,802,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Associated Banc Corp grew its holdings in Travelers Companies by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Associated Banc Corp now owns 2,734 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $731,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 1.0% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,093 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,143,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Nilsine Partners LLC increased its holdings in Travelers Companies by 0.4% in the third quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC now owns 9,737 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,719,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Travelers Companies by 0.8% in the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,109 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,367,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Finally, Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 3.0% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,465 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $409,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. 82.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Travelers Companies

In other Travelers Companies news, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 55,733 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $294.70, for a total value of $16,424,515.10. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 260,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,718,956.30. The trade was a 17.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Maria Olivo sold 10,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.75, for a total transaction of $3,127,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 117,596 shares in the company, valued at $35,366,997. This trade represents a 8.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 92,845 shares of company stock worth $27,239,631. Company insiders own 1.46% of the company’s stock.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Travelers Companies stock opened at $308.53 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $66.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.51. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $289.18 and its 200-day moving average is $281.91. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $230.43 and a one year high of $309.81.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The insurance provider reported $11.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.34 by $2.79. The business had revenue of $12.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.13 billion. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 20.70% and a net margin of 12.88%.Travelers Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.15 EPS. Equities analysts predict that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Argus raised Travelers Companies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Evercore upped their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $309.00 to $317.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $315.00 to $312.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Roth Mkm lifted their target price on Travelers Companies from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $304.33.

Travelers Companies 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.