Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV)

The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) saw unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Stock traders purchased 15,094 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 2,292% compared to the typical volume of 631 call options.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:TRV opened at $306.89 on Tuesday. Travelers Companies has a 1 year low of $249.19 and a 1 year high of $313.12. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $300.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $294.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.26 billion, a PE ratio of 9.13, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.48.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last posted its 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. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 15.54% and a return on equity of 24.06%. The business had revenue of $11.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.11 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.91 EPS. Travelers Companies’s revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Travelers Companies will post 28 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be given a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 10th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. This is a positive change from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TRV has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $340.00 to $342.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Barclays downgraded shares of Travelers Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price target for the company from $331.00 to $295.00 in a report on Friday. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $329.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Monday, April 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $309.07.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Travelers Companies news, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 1,557 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.64, for a total value of $483,666.48. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 259,590 shares in the company, valued at $80,639,037.60. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.65, for a total transaction of $3,076,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,882,706.25. The trade was a 18.14% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 37,573 shares of company stock worth $11,504,146. Insiders own 1.39% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Travelers Companies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Travelers Companies by 145.7% in the 1st quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 86 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Travelers Companies in the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Travelers Companies by 1,820.0% in the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. 82.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.