The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV Shares Sold by Epoch Investment Partners Inc.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 2.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 108,482 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 3,228 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned 0.05% of Travelers Companies worth $31,642,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,109,933 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,413,207,000 after purchasing an additional 110,311 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Travelers Companies by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,000,457 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,641,093,000 after buying an additional 486,861 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,793,750 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,100,416,000 after buying an additional 85,298 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,484,676 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,016,433,000 after buying an additional 123,564 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Travelers Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $723,339,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

Travelers Companies Trading Up 2.9%

TRV opened at $387.42 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $80.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $322.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $304.48. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $252.26 and a 1-year high of $389.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.35.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 17th. The insurance provider reported $10.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.41 by $4.63. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 25.41% and a net margin of 16.95%.The business had revenue of $12.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $6.51 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 32.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 10th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Travelers Companies’s payout ratio is 13.39%.

Key Headlines Impacting Travelers Companies

Here are the key news stories impacting Travelers Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remained constructive, with Morgan Stanley and other firms highlighting potential upside, while a recent Zacks note said Travelers’ shares hit a 52-week high and questioned whether the run can continue. Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) Stock The Travelers Companies, Inc. (TRV) Hit a 52 Week High, Can the Run Continue?
• Positive Sentiment: AM Best assigned an “a+” issue credit rating with a stable outlook to Travelers’ new $750 million senior unsecured notes, signaling confidence in the company’s credit quality and access to capital. AM Best Assigns Issue Credit Rating to The Travelers Companies, Inc. New Senior Unsecured Notes
• Positive Sentiment: Travelers priced $750 million of 4.95% senior notes due 2031, which adds funding for general corporate purposes and appears manageable given the company’s strong balance sheet. Travelers Companies Prices $750 Million Senior Notes Offering
• Neutral Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target to $343 from $324 but kept a neutral rating, suggesting the stock may have already moved ahead of near-term fundamentals. Mizuho price target update
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that several top Travelers executives sold company stock could weigh on sentiment, even if the transactions were routine. Top Travelers Executives Quietly Unload Millions in Company Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Deutsche Bank and UBS both reiterated hold-type views, reinforcing that some analysts see limited upside after the recent rally. Deutsche Bank Sticks to Its Hold Rating for Travelers Companies (TRV) UBS Releases a Hold Rating on Travelers Companies (TRV)

Insider Buying and Selling at Travelers Companies

In other Travelers Companies news, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 1,557 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.64, for a total value of $483,666.48. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 259,590 shares in the company, valued at $80,639,037.60. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Avrohom J. Kess sold 6,735 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.78, for a total value of $2,079,633.30. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 48,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,049,010.86. This trade represents a 12.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 18,292 shares of company stock worth $5,639,800 in the last three months. 1.39% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on TRV shares. UBS Group increased their target price on Travelers Companies from $314.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Travelers Companies from $295.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Travelers Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $350.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday, July 20th. TD Cowen downgraded Travelers Companies from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $297.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Friday, May 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $354.26.

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.