Michael Frederick Klein Sells 10,000 Shares of Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) Stock

The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 33,638 shares in the company, valued at $10,131,092.84. This represents a 22.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Travelers Companies Trading Down 2.9%

Shares of Travelers Companies stock traded down $8.71 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $292.78. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,650,870 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,807,593. The stock has a market cap of $65.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.33. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $230.43 and a twelve month high of $304.40. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $284.82 and a 200-day moving average of $277.99.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 21st. The insurance provider reported $11.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.34 by $2.79. The firm had revenue of $12.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.13 billion. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 12.88% and a return on equity of 20.70%. Travelers Companies’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.15 EPS. Research analysts forecast that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Travelers Companies announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, January 21st that allows the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the insurance provider to repurchase up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on TRV shares. Evercore lifted their target price on Travelers Companies from $309.00 to $317.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Travelers Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $304.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Travelers Companies from $302.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Travelers Companies from $315.00 to $312.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $303.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of TRV. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Travelers Companies by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,277 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $789,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $276,000. Callan Family Office LLC lifted its position in Travelers Companies by 203.8% in the second quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 5,280 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,413,000 after purchasing an additional 3,542 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc boosted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 1,971 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $527,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aberdeen Group plc raised its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 11.7% during the 2nd quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 198,525 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $53,113,000 after buying an additional 20,754 shares in the last quarter. 82.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.