The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV Holdings Increased by AustralianSuper Pty Ltd

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lifted its stake in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 102.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 908,559 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 458,746 shares during the period. Travelers Companies accounts for approximately 1.2% of AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $263,537,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 21.7% during the 3rd quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 48,247 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $13,472,000 after purchasing an additional 8,600 shares during the period. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. bought a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $7,955,000. National Pension Service grew its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 746,883 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $208,545,000 after purchasing an additional 13,120 shares during the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co raised its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 24.9% in the 3rd quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 34,871 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $9,737,000 after purchasing an additional 6,954 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Travelers Companies by 147.5% during the third quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC now owns 28,830 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $8,050,000 after purchasing an additional 17,181 shares during the last quarter. 82.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Brean Capital assumed coverage on Travelers Companies in a report on Thursday, March 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Friday, May 8th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $259.00 to $257.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Two equities 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $309.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Avrohom J. Kess sold 6,735 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.78, for a total transaction of $2,079,633.30. Following the transaction, the insider owned 48,737 shares in the company, valued at $15,049,010.86. This represents a 12.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 1,557 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.64, for a total transaction of $483,666.48. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 259,590 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $80,639,037.60. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 27,573 shares of company stock valued at $8,427,646. 1.39% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Travelers Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:TRV opened at $298.32 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $63.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.50. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $249.19 and a 1 year high of $313.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $299.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $291.51.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $7.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.80 by $0.91. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 24.06% and a net margin of 15.54%.The company had revenue of $11.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.91 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 28.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be paid a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. This is a boost from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 10th. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.09%.

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

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.