Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Raises Stock Position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR lifted its holdings in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 21.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 25,077 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,376 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR’s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $7,274,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 1,949 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $541,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust raised its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 10,036 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,911,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Allegiance Financial Group Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Travelers Companies by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Allegiance Financial Group Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,130 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $328,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Ibex Wealth Advisors boosted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ibex Wealth Advisors now owns 2,889 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $807,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital boosted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 3,167 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $897,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. 82.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 6,414 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.06, for a total value of $1,956,654.84. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,853,239.50. The trade was a 51.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Diane Kurtzman sold 2,867 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.45, for a total value of $869,991.15. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,298 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,678.10. This represents a 35.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 27,573 shares of company stock worth $8,427,646. Company insiders own 1.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on TRV. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Friday, April 17th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $297.00 to $314.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Travelers Companies from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Two research 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $309.13.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

Travelers Companies stock opened at $298.01 on Friday. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $249.19 and a 52 week high of $313.12. 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 stock has a market cap of $63.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $300.48 and a 200-day moving average of $290.49.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $11.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 in the previous year, the firm earned $1.91 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 28.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, January 21st that permits the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the insurance provider to purchase up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be given a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 10th. This is an increase from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. Travelers Companies’s payout ratio is presently 13.09%.

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.