The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV Shares Purchased by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 8.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 79,642 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,975 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $23,101,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of TRV. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension acquired a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter worth $24,167,000. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co lifted its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 48,247 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $13,472,000 after acquiring an additional 8,600 shares during the period. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $7,955,000. National Pension Service lifted its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 746,883 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $208,545,000 after acquiring an additional 13,120 shares during the period. Finally, Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co lifted its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 24.9% in the 3rd quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 34,871 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $9,737,000 after acquiring an additional 6,954 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

Shares of TRV opened at $307.02 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $299.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $292.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market capitalization of $65.29 billion, a PE ratio of 9.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.50. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $249.19 and a 52-week high of $313.12.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $7.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.80 by $0.91. The business had revenue of $11.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.11 billion. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 15.54% and a return on equity of 24.06%. The business’s revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.91 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 28.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, January 21st that allows the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the insurance provider to repurchase up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be issued a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 10th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. This is a boost from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. Travelers Companies’s payout ratio is 13.09%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Avrohom J. Kess sold 6,735 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.78, for a total value of $2,079,633.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 48,737 shares in the company, valued at $15,049,010.86. This trade represents a 12.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 6,414 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.06, for a total transaction of $1,956,654.84. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,853,239.50. This trade represents a 51.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 27,573 shares of company stock worth $8,427,646. Insiders own 1.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $316.00 to $319.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $340.00 to $342.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $312.00 to $331.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Travelers Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $309.13.

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.