UBS Group AG Reduces Stock Position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

UBS Group AG reduced its position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 16.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,685,597 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 340,680 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned approximately 0.76% of Travelers Companies worth $470,652,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of TRV. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 134.1% during the 3rd 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 period. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. lifted 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Clayton Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Travelers Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

Travelers Companies Price Performance

TRV traded up $2.42 on Friday, hitting $304.43. 156,770 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,666,065. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $291.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $284.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $230.43 and a one year high of $313.12. The firm has a market cap of $65.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.49.

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

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

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Travelers Companies’s payout ratio is presently 15.98%.

Insider Activity at Travelers Companies

In other Travelers Companies news, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.18, for a total transaction of $3,011,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 33,638 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,131,092.84. This represents a 22.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Maria Olivo sold 10,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.75, for a total value of $3,127,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 117,596 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,366,997. The trade was a 8.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 92,845 shares of company stock worth $27,239,631 in the last quarter. 1.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Argus raised shares of Travelers Companies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Roth Mkm raised 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. Zacks Research downgraded Travelers Companies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Travelers Companies to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $304.33.

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.