Russell Investments Group Ltd. Grows Stock Holdings in The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 5.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 483,342 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 24,337 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $140,306,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in TRV. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Travelers Companies by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,277 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $789,000 after buying an additional 387 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $276,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in Travelers Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $382,000. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in Travelers Companies by 13.9% during the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 68,537 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $18,336,000 after buying an additional 8,383 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its holdings in Travelers Companies by 2.0% during the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 105,605 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $28,254,000 after buying an additional 2,117 shares during the last quarter. 82.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE TRV opened at $307.78 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $300.75 and a 200-day moving average price of $294.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market cap of $65.45 billion, a PE ratio of 9.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.48. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $249.19 and a 1 year high of $313.12.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $7.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.80 by $0.91. The firm had revenue of $11.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.11 billion. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 15.54% and a return on equity of 24.06%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.91 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 28 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 Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be paid a $1.25 dividend. 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 10th. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.88%.

Insider Transactions at Travelers Companies

In other news, insider Avrohom J. Kess sold 6,735 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider directly owned 48,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,049,010.86. This represents a 12.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 6,414 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The stock was 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 approximately $1,853,239.50. This represents a 51.36% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 37,573 shares of company stock valued at $11,504,146. Company insiders own 1.39% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on TRV. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Friday, April 17th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Monday, April 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Travelers Companies from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the company from $316.00 to $322.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $259.00 to $257.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $309.07.

About Travelers Companies

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.