Advisory Alpha LLC Acquires Shares of 1,404 The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV)

Advisory Alpha LLC acquired a new stake in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 1,404 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $338,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Travelers Companies by 39.5% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 135,957 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $32,646,000 after acquiring an additional 38,515 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Travelers Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $9,798,000. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its holdings in Travelers Companies by 34.6% in the 3rd quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 18,144 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,248,000 after acquiring an additional 4,665 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in Travelers Companies by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 49,223 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $11,857,000 after acquiring an additional 2,792 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Travelers Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $50,000. 82.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TRV has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Travelers Companies from $273.00 to $268.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $268.00 price target (down previously from $273.00) on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Thursday. StockNews.com cut Travelers Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Travelers Companies from $210.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on Travelers Companies from $241.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy 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 $255.53.

Travelers Companies Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of Travelers Companies stock opened at $241.75 on Friday. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $200.21 and a one year high of $269.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.34. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $248.61 and its 200 day moving average is $236.77. The firm has a market cap of $54.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.40, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.65.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The insurance provider reported $9.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.50 by $2.65. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 17.69% and a net margin of 10.02%. The company had revenue of $12.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10,795,375 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $7.01 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 19 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. Travelers Companies’s payout ratio is currently 21.54%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Travelers Companies news, EVP Maria Olivo sold 10,410 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.80, for a total value of $2,725,338.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 111,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,102,211.60. This represents a 8.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Andy F. Bessette sold 4,520 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.46, for a total value of $1,145,639.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,976 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,302,736.96. The trade was a 21.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 18,670 shares of company stock worth $4,861,329. Corporate insiders own 1.33% of the company’s stock.

Travelers Companies Company Profile

The Travelers Companies, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides a range of commercial and personal property, and casualty insurance products and services to businesses, government units, associations, and individuals in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Business Insurance, Bond & Specialty Insurance, and Personal Insurance.