Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ Makes New Investment in The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ bought a new stake in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 195,405 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $54,561,000. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ owned 0.09% of Travelers Companies at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TRV. Avalon Trust Co grew its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 23.4% in the 2nd quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 7,541 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,018,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429 shares during the period. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co grew its holdings in Travelers Companies by 21.7% during 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 during the last quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 32.3% during the third quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 26,228 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $7,323,000 after purchasing an additional 6,408 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service increased its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 746,883 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $208,545,000 after buying an additional 13,120 shares during the period. Finally, Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. bought a new position in Travelers Companies in the third quarter valued at about $7,955,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on TRV shares. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $315.00 to $312.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Travelers Companies from $315.00 to $304.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised Travelers Companies from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Travelers Companies from $307.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $304.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Travelers Companies

In related news, EVP Maria Olivo sold 10,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.75, for a total transaction of $3,127,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 117,596 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,366,997. This represents a 8.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $301.18, for a total value of $3,011,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 33,638 shares in the company, valued at $10,131,092.84. This trade represents a 22.92% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 101,765 shares of company stock valued at $29,877,543. Corporate insiders own 1.46% of the company’s stock.

Travelers Companies Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of TRV stock opened at $304.80 on Friday. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $230.43 and a 12-month high of $304.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $287.74 and a 200-day moving average of $280.49. The company has a market capitalization of $65.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.51.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The insurance provider reported $11.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.34 by $2.79. The firm had revenue of $12.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.13 billion. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 20.70% and a net margin of 12.88%.The company’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.15 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Travelers Companies’s payout ratio is 15.98%.

Travelers Companies declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, January 21st that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the insurance provider to buy up to 8.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is 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.