FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH Lowers Stock Position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH lowered its position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 72.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,029 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 2,690 shares during the period. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH’s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $298,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in TRV. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Travelers Companies by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,277 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $789,000 after buying an additional 387 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $276,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in Travelers Companies during the second quarter worth about $382,000. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in Travelers Companies by 13.9% during the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 68,537 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $18,336,000 after buying an additional 8,383 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its holdings in Travelers Companies by 2.0% during the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 105,605 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $28,254,000 after buying an additional 2,117 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

Travelers Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:TRV opened at $302.74 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.38 billion, a PE ratio of 9.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.51. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $249.19 and a twelve month high of $313.12. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $300.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $288.80.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $7.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.80 by $0.91. The firm 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 company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.91 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 27.83 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, January 21st that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the insurance provider to purchase up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This is a boost from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 10th. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.09%.

Insider Activity

In other Travelers Companies news, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 55,733 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 260,329 shares in the company, valued at $76,718,956.30. This trade represents a 17.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Maria Olivo sold 10,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.75, for a total transaction of $3,127,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 117,596 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,366,997. This trade represents a 8.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 95,414 shares of company stock valued at $28,428,461. 1.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on TRV shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $302.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Friday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $340.00 to $342.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $297.00 to $314.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $309.13.

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.