The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV Stock Position Raised by Leuthold Group LLC

Leuthold Group LLC boosted its position in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 17,564 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,556 shares during the period. Leuthold Group LLC’s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $6,262,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Latitude Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. LifeSteps Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in Travelers Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Travelers Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Signature Equity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 35.1% in the 3rd quarter. Signature Equity Partners LLC now owns 104 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

Travelers Companies stock opened at $395.06 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $378.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $333.38. The stock has a market cap of $80.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $268.00 and a 1-year high of $418.00.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 16th. The insurance provider reported $9.18 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.39 by $1.79. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 26.19%. The firm had revenue of $12.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.36 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $8.14 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 36.27 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 10th will be given a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 10th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Travelers Companies’s payout ratio is currently 13.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Maria Olivo sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $407.00, for a total value of $6,105,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 88,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $36,077,294. This represents a 14.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Andy Bessette sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $399.35, for a total value of $1,198,050.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,285 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,302,114.75. The trade was a 14.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 195,287 shares of company stock valued at $77,818,050. 1.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on TRV shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $330.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Travelers Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and increased their target price for the company from $339.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Argus raised their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $330.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $372.00 to $382.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered shares of Travelers Companies from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $288.00 to $297.00 in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $370.83.

Travelers Companies Profile

The Travelers Companies, Inc is a property and casualty insurance provider serving individuals, businesses and organizations. Its products include personal auto and homeowners insurance, as well as commercial coverage such as property, general liability, workers’ compensation and commercial auto insurance.

The company also provides surety bonds and specialty insurance, including coverage for businesses and professional services. Travelers distributes many of its products through independent agents and brokers.

Travelers has roots in insurance businesses founded in the 19th century, including The Travelers Insurance Company, established in 1864, and St.