The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV Shares Sold by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC lowered its stake in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 144,856 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 14,376 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $40,447,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Nuance Investments LLC acquired a new position in Travelers Companies in the third quarter worth about $3,115,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 8,603 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,402,000 after buying an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,009 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,119,000 after acquiring an additional 318 shares in the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. increased its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 750.4% in the 3rd quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 171,694 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $47,940,000 after acquiring an additional 151,504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RFG Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 968 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $270,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $301.18, for a total transaction of $3,011,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 33,638 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,131,092.84. This trade represents a 22.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 2,000 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $287.50, for a total transaction of $575,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 255,086 shares in the company, valued at approximately $73,337,225. This represents a 0.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 105,568 shares of company stock valued at $30,974,602. Company insiders own 1.46% of the company’s stock.

Travelers Companies Trading Down 2.9%

Travelers Companies stock opened at $292.78 on Tuesday. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $230.43 and a 52-week high of $304.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.63, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.51. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $284.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $278.21.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 20.70% and a net margin of 12.88%.The company had revenue of $12.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.13 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.15 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side 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 share buyback plan on Wednesday, January 21st that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the insurance provider to buy up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Travelers Companies from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Roth Mkm raised their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $307.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $302.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Travelers Companies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Travelers Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $303.00.

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.