Commerce Bank Invests $8.89 Million in The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Commerce Bank acquired a new position in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 26,943 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $8,894,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of TRV. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 145.7% during the 1st quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 86 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Travelers Companies in the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. LifeSteps Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Travelers Companies in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Kilter Group LLC bought a new position in Travelers Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Daniel S. Frey sold 14,037 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.24, for a total value of $5,168,984.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 27,535 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,139,488.40. This represents a 33.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Donnay Rowland sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $371.69, for a total value of $1,858,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 10,479 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,894,939.51. This trade represents a 32.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 62,667 shares of company stock worth $22,688,329. 1.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on TRV shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $295.00 to $318.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Travelers Companies from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $316.00 to $322.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $430.00 price objective on Travelers Companies in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $354.26.

Travelers Companies Stock Performance

NYSE TRV opened at $363.83 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $352.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $318.35. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $252.26 and a 52-week high of $398.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $75.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.45.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 17th. The insurance provider reported $10.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.41 by $4.63. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 16.95% and a return on equity of 25.41%. The business had revenue of $12.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.26 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.51 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 33.82 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 10th will be issued a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 10th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 13.39%.

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.