Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. reduced its position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 49.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 14,327 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 14,164 shares during the period. Travelers Companies makes up about 1.2% of Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc.’s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $4,156,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 1,949 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $541,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust grew its stake 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. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,093 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,143,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Ibex Wealth Advisors boosted its position in Travelers Companies by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Ibex Wealth Advisors now owns 2,889 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $807,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital boosted its position in Travelers Companies by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 3,167 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $897,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. 82.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Travelers Companies

In other Travelers Companies news, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 6,414 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.06, for a total value of $1,956,654.84. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,075 shares in the company, valued at $1,853,239.50. The trade was a 51.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 55,733 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.70, for a total transaction of $16,424,515.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 260,329 shares in the company, valued at $76,718,956.30. This represents a 17.63% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 103,706 shares of company stock worth $30,991,761 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.39% of the company’s stock.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

Shares of TRV stock opened at $304.99 on Monday. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $249.19 and a 12 month high of $313.12. 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 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. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $300.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $289.72.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $7.71 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $11.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.91 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 28.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 10th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. This is an increase from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on TRV. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Travelers Companies from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Travelers Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $304.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $297.00 to $314.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $302.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $316.00 to $319.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.