Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) EVP Jeffrey Klenk Sells 16,712 Shares

The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) EVP Jeffrey Klenk sold 16,712 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.77, for a total value of $4,675,516.24. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,699,602.75. This represents a 73.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE TRV traded up $3.98 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $281.70. 1,433,824 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,797,626. The company has a market cap of $62.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.23, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.52. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $285.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $275.93. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $230.43 and a 52 week high of $296.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.35.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The insurance provider reported $11.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.34 by $2.79. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 20.70% and a net margin of 12.88%.The firm had revenue of $12.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.13 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.15 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.98%.

Travelers Companies announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, January 21st that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the insurance provider to reacquire up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Travelers Companies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TRV. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. raised its position 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 valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC lifted 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 acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Quaker Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 200.0% during the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 104 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Travelers Companies in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on TRV shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Travelers Companies from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $315.00 to $312.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $315.00 to $304.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Travelers Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, October 19th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $284.00 to $287.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $301.20.

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.