Baxter Bros Inc. Makes New Investment in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV)

Baxter Bros Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,171 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $223,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of TRV. First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the third quarter worth $26,000. AM Squared Ltd lifted its position in Travelers Companies by 100.0% during the 3rd 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 period. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Travelers Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora acquired a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Operose Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the third quarter worth about $43,000. 82.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.96, for a total value of $2,139,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 22,798 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,877,860.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.96, for a total value of $2,139,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,798 shares in the company, valued at $4,877,860.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 3,635 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.68, for a total transaction of $776,726.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,298,106. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 56,635 shares of company stock valued at $12,057,727. Insiders own 1.33% of the company’s stock.

Travelers Companies Price Performance

Shares of TRV traded down $0.52 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $213.85. 1,298,445 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,525,222. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $220.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $200.14. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $157.33 and a 12-month high of $232.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.34. The company has a market cap of $48.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.60.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 17th. The insurance provider reported $4.69 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.75 by ($0.06). Travelers Companies had a net margin of 7.32% and a return on equity of 13.94%. The business had revenue of $11.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.11 earnings per share. Travelers Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. This is an increase from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 7th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.96%. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on TRV shares. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $220.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $261.00 to $252.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Travelers Companies from $194.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Travelers Companies from $222.00 to $219.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $223.47.

About Travelers Companies

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.