Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Trims Position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans trimmed its holdings in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 52.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 8,881 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 9,623 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $2,576,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the third quarter worth about $125,597,000. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the third quarter worth about $99,680,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 22.8% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,785,288 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $496,872,000 after acquiring an additional 331,170 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 258.5% during the second quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 372,513 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $99,662,000 after acquiring an additional 268,600 shares during the period. Finally, PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $75,303,000. 82.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Avrohom J. Kess sold 6,735 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.78, for a total transaction of $2,079,633.30. Following the transaction, the insider owned 48,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,049,010.86. This represents a 12.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Diane Kurtzman sold 2,867 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.45, for a total transaction of $869,991.15. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,298 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,678.10. This trade represents a 35.11% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 27,573 shares of company stock worth $8,427,646 in the last 90 days. 1.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on TRV. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $259.00 to $257.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $340.00 to $342.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Argus upgraded shares of Travelers Companies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $297.00 to $314.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $309.13.

Travelers Companies Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE TRV opened at $306.67 on Monday. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $249.19 and a 12-month high of $313.12. The company has a market capitalization of $65.21 billion, a PE ratio of 9.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $299.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $293.05.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $7.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.80 by $0.91. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 15.54% and a return on equity of 24.06%. The company had revenue of $11.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.91 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 28.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be issued a $1.25 dividend. This is a positive change from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 10th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Travelers Companies’s payout ratio is currently 13.09%.

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.