Advisory Alpha LLC Invests $338,000 in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV)

Advisory Alpha LLC acquired a new position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,404 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $338,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Simon Quick Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 1,551 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $374,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,785 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $671,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. Legal Advantage Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 37.9% during the fourth quarter. Legal Advantage Investments Inc. now owns 1,379 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $332,000 after acquiring an additional 379 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 22.8% during the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 12,648 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,047,000 after acquiring an additional 2,345 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pure Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $200,000. 82.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Travelers Companies

In other Travelers Companies news, EVP Andy F. Bessette sold 4,520 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.46, for a total transaction of $1,145,639.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,976 shares in the company, valued at $4,302,736.96. This trade represents a 21.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Maria Olivo sold 10,410 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.80, for a total value of $2,725,338.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 111,162 shares in the company, valued at $29,102,211.60. The trade was a 8.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 18,670 shares of company stock valued at $4,861,329. Company insiders own 1.33% of the company’s stock.

Travelers Companies Price Performance

NYSE:TRV opened at $241.75 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.65. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $200.21 and a 52-week high of $269.55. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $248.61 and a 200 day moving average of $236.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.34.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The insurance provider reported $9.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.50 by $2.65. The company had revenue of $12.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10,795,375 billion. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 17.69% and a net margin of 10.02%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.01 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 21.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on TRV shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Travelers Companies from $233.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays decreased their price target on Travelers Companies from $295.00 to $278.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com downgraded Travelers Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Bank of America increased their price target on Travelers Companies from $241.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded Travelers Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $280.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $255.53.

About Travelers Companies

The Travelers Companies, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides a range of commercial and personal property, and casualty insurance products and services to businesses, government units, associations, and individuals in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Business Insurance, Bond & Specialty Insurance, and Personal Insurance.