Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Lowers Stock Holdings in The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. reduced its position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 2.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 76,101 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 1,672 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.’s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $21,244,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of TRV. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Travelers Companies by 1,820.0% during the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Travelers Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 134.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the third quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the second quarter worth $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

Travelers Companies Stock Up 0.2%

TRV opened at $302.54 on Monday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $292.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $284.43. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $230.43 and a 52 week high of $313.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market cap of $65.42 billion, a PE ratio of 10.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.49.

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

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Travelers Companies’s payout ratio is presently 15.98%.

Travelers Companies announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, January 21st that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the insurance provider to repurchase up to 8.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on TRV. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Travelers Companies from $302.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Travelers Companies from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Travelers Companies to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Travelers Companies from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Travelers Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $304.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $304.33.

Insider Transactions at Travelers Companies

In other Travelers Companies news, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 55,733 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $294.70, for a total transaction of $16,424,515.10. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 260,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,718,956.30. This trade represents a 17.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 16,712 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.77, for a total transaction of $4,675,516.24. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,699,602.75. The trade was a 73.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 92,845 shares of company stock worth $27,239,631 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.46% of the company’s stock.

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.