The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV Stake Reduced by Applied Finance Capital Management LLC

Applied Finance Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 81,003 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 3,251 shares during the period. Travelers Companies comprises 1.7% of Applied Finance Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $23,496,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of TRV. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 1,820.0% in the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Navalign LLC bought a new stake in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. eCIO Inc. bought a new stake in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Optima Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Travelers Companies

In related news, EVP Diane Kurtzman sold 2,867 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.45, for a total transaction of $869,991.15. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,607,678.10. This trade represents a 35.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.77, for a total value of $3,037,700.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,707,621.25. This trade represents a 18.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 27,573 shares of company stock valued at $8,427,646. 1.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Travelers Companies Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:TRV opened at $299.91 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.35. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $299.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $291.57. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $249.19 and a 52-week high of $313.12. The firm has a market cap of $63.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.92, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.50.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) 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. 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 quarter last year, the company earned $1.91 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 28.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan 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 plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on TRV shares. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Mizuho decreased their price target on Travelers Companies from $315.00 to $304.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on Travelers Companies from $316.00 to $319.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Brean Capital started coverage on Travelers Companies in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $309.13.

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.