The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV Stock Position Boosted by Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its stake in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 1,184.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,061 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,589 shares during the quarter. Travelers Companies comprises 0.9% of Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $1,692,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in TRV. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Travelers Companies by 1,820.0% in the second quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 134.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 200.0% in the second quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 104 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the period. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Travelers Companies during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. 82.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on TRV shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $315.00 to $304.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Travelers Companies from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Travelers Companies to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $304.33.

Travelers Companies Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE:TRV opened at $306.21 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $66.21 billion, a PE ratio of 11.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.51. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $230.43 and a fifty-two week high of $309.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $288.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $281.48.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The insurance provider reported $11.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.34 by $2.79. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 12.88% and a return on equity of 20.70%. The business had revenue of $12.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.13 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.15 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. Travelers Companies’s payout ratio is currently 15.98%.

Travelers Companies declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, January 21st that allows the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the insurance provider to buy up to 8.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Travelers Companies

In other Travelers Companies news, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 16,712 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.77, for a total value of $4,675,516.24. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,075 shares in the company, valued at $1,699,602.75. The trade was a 73.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 55,733 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.70, for a total value of $16,424,515.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 260,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,718,956.30. The trade was a 17.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 92,845 shares of company stock valued at $27,239,631. 1.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Travelers Companies Company 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.