California Public Employees Retirement System Raises Stock Holdings in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV)

California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 18.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 936,058 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 144,566 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned about 0.41% of Travelers Companies worth $178,310,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Travelers Companies in the third quarter worth $26,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. AM Squared Ltd boosted its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 100.0% in the third quarter. AM Squared Ltd now owns 200 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, OLD Second National Bank of Aurora purchased a new position in Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE TRV traded down $0.61 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $213.66. 155,147 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,488,235. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.93 billion, a PE ratio of 15.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.58. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $221.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $197.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $157.33 and a 12 month high of $232.75.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 17th. The insurance provider reported $4.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.75 by ($0.06). Travelers Companies had a net margin of 7.32% and a return on equity of 13.94%. The company had revenue of $11.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.11 earnings per share. Travelers Companies’s revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be given a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 7th. This is a positive change from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Travelers Companies’s payout ratio is 29.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on TRV shares. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Friday, April 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $186.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Raymond James raised their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $220.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $247.00 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $230.00 to $225.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $223.18.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Daniel S. Frey sold 38,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.55, for a total transaction of $8,076,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,147,865.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CFO Daniel S. Frey sold 38,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.55, for a total value of $8,076,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,147,865.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.54, for a total value of $533,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 255,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $54,490,710.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 68,734 shares of company stock valued at $14,637,364 in the last ninety days. 1.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Travelers Companies Profile

The Travelers Companies, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides a range of commercial and personal property, and casualty insurance products and services to businesses, government units, associations, and individuals in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Business Insurance, Bond & Specialty Insurance, and Personal Insurance.