The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV Shares Purchased by Avanza Fonder AB

Avanza Fonder AB raised its position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 19.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,844 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,292 shares during the quarter. Avanza Fonder AB’s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $5,756,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in 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. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 1,820.0% during the second quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Clayton Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 16,712 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,075 shares in the company, valued at $1,699,602.75. This represents a 73.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.18, for a total value of $3,011,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 33,638 shares in the company, valued at $10,131,092.84. The trade was a 22.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 92,845 shares of company stock worth $27,239,631. Company insiders own 1.46% of the company’s stock.

Travelers Companies Trading Down 0.3%

Travelers Companies stock opened at $295.64 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $293.95 and its 200-day moving average is $285.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.33. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $230.43 and a 1 year high of $313.12. The company has a market cap of $63.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.74, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.49.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 21st. The insurance provider reported $11.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 the consensus estimate of $11.13 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.15 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Travelers Companies declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, January 21st that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the insurance provider to reacquire up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TRV has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Travelers Companies from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Travelers Companies from $307.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Roth Mkm increased their target price on Travelers Companies from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Travelers Companies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Travelers Companies from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Two 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 given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $306.79.

About Travelers Companies

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.