Strs Ohio Lowers Stake in The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Strs Ohio reduced its position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 6.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 60,138 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 4,155 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $17,444,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in TRV. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the third quarter valued at about $125,597,000. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the third quarter valued at about $112,051,000. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 1,641.3% in the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 379,480 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $105,537,000 after acquiring an additional 357,687 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the third quarter valued at about $99,680,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 22.8% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,785,288 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $496,872,000 after acquiring an additional 331,170 shares in the last quarter. 82.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.77, for a total transaction of $3,037,700.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,125 shares in the company, valued at $13,707,621.25. This represents a 18.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 6,414 shares of the company’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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,853,239.50. This trade represents a 51.36% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 103,706 shares of company stock valued at $30,991,761. 1.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Travelers Companies Price Performance

NYSE TRV opened at $304.99 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $300.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $289.72. 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 Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $249.19 and a 12-month high of $313.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.50.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $7.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 in the previous year, the company earned $1.91 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 28.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, January 21st that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the insurance provider to reacquire up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Travelers Companies from $259.00 to $257.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Friday, April 17th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Travelers Companies from $297.00 to $314.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $302.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Two equities research 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 given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $309.13.

Travelers Companies 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.