Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Has $13.47 Million Stock Position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co grew its stake in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 21.7% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 48,247 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,600 shares during the quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $13,472,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Travelers Companies by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,047,005 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $5,898,456,000 after buying an additional 313,449 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Travelers Companies by 10.9% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,626,750 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,040,475,000 after purchasing an additional 751,715 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,541,819 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,481,805,000 after acquiring an additional 54,363 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Travelers Companies in the second quarter valued at $815,013,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 14.4% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,547,778 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $414,093,000 after purchasing an additional 194,698 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on TRV. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Travelers Companies from $307.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $315.00 to $304.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Travelers Companies from $317.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Travelers Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $304.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Travelers Companies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $303.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Travelers Companies

In related news, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 55,733 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $294.70, for a total value of $16,424,515.10. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 260,329 shares in the company, valued at $76,718,956.30. This trade represents a 17.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Maria Olivo sold 10,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.75, for a total value of $3,127,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 117,596 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,366,997. The trade was a 8.13% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 101,765 shares of company stock valued at $29,877,543. 1.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Travelers Companies Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE:TRV opened at $297.39 on Friday. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $230.43 and a 12 month high of $304.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $285.67 and its 200 day moving average is $278.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.33 billion, a PE ratio of 10.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.51.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The insurance provider reported $11.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.34 by $2.79. The company had revenue of $12.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.15 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

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

Travelers Companies declared that its Board of Directors has initiated 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 purchase up to 8.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.