Argent Advisors Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Argent Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 27.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,127 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,645 shares during the quarter. Travelers Companies makes up about 1.0% of Argent Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Argent Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $3,518,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension purchased a new stake in Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter worth $24,167,000. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its holdings in Travelers Companies by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 48,247 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $13,472,000 after acquiring an additional 8,600 shares in the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its holdings in Travelers Companies by 24.9% in the 3rd quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 34,871 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $9,737,000 after acquiring an additional 6,954 shares in the last quarter. Rit Capital Partners PLC purchased a new stake in Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter worth $39,450,000. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its holdings in Travelers Companies by 192.8% in the 3rd quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 135,330 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $37,787,000 after acquiring an additional 89,108 shares in the last quarter. 82.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Travelers Companies Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of TRV opened at $293.50 on Friday. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $249.19 and a 52-week high of $313.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $298.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $293.93. The stock has a market cap of $62.41 billion, a PE ratio of 8.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.48.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $7.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 analysts’ expectations of $11.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.91 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be issued a $1.25 dividend. This is an increase from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 10th. Travelers Companies’s payout ratio is currently 14.88%.

Insider Transactions at Travelers Companies

In related news, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.65, for a total value of $3,076,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,882,706.25. This represents a 18.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 1,557 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.64, for a total transaction of $483,666.48. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 259,590 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $80,639,037.60. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 37,573 shares of company stock valued at $11,504,146 in the last three months. 1.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on TRV shares. Seaport Research Partners set a $322.00 price target on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Travelers Companies from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $316.00 to $322.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $329.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Travelers Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $311.47.

Travelers Companies 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.