Insider Selling: Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) EVP Sells 10,000 Shares of Stock

The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.18, for a total value of $3,011,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 33,638 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,131,092.84. This trade represents a 22.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Travelers Companies Trading Down 2.9%

TRV stock traded down $8.71 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $292.78. 1,650,870 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,807,593. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $284.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $277.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.31 billion, a PE ratio of 10.63, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.33. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $230.43 and a one year high of $304.40.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $12.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $9.15 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.98%.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Travelers Companies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 1,820.0% during the second quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Travelers Companies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 200.0% in the second quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 104 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Travelers Companies during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Argus upgraded shares of Travelers Companies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Travelers Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, October 19th. Roth Mkm upped their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Mizuho lowered their target price 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. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $303.00.

About Travelers Companies

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.