New York State Common Retirement Fund Decreases Position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV)

New York State Common Retirement Fund trimmed its stake in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 7.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 361,428 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 30,186 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $68,848,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in Travelers Companies by 15.8% in the third quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,575,759 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $747,267,000 after buying an additional 623,974 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,431,825 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $560,451,000 after purchasing an additional 29,989 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Travelers Companies by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,285,751 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $373,286,000 after purchasing an additional 95,153 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Travelers Companies by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,395,810 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $227,950,000 after purchasing an additional 5,584 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in Travelers Companies by 7.2% in the third quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 989,962 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $162,157,000 after purchasing an additional 66,508 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

Travelers Companies Price Performance

Shares of TRV opened at $214.35 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $221.75 and a 200-day moving average price of $197.84. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $157.33 and a fifty-two week high of $232.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.08 billion, a PE ratio of 15.92, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.34.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 13.94% and a net margin of 7.32%. The business had revenue of $11.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.11 EPS. Travelers Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.54, for a total transaction of $533,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 255,178 shares in the company, valued at approximately $54,490,710.12. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Travelers Companies news, EVP Diane Kurtzman sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.02, for a total transaction of $633,060.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 2,215 shares in the company, valued at approximately $467,409.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.54, for a total transaction of $533,850.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 255,178 shares in the company, valued at approximately $54,490,710.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 68,734 shares of company stock worth $14,637,364 in the last 90 days. 1.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Travelers Companies from $230.00 to $225.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Travelers Companies from $222.00 to $219.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $215.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $237.00 to $230.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $223.47.

Travelers Companies Company 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.