The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) Stock Holdings Lessened by Garland Capital Management Inc.

Garland Capital Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 14.6% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 21,210 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 3,625 shares during the period. Travelers Companies accounts for about 5.3% of Garland Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Garland Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $5,609,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new position in Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

Travelers Companies Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of TRV opened at $265.06 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $266.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $254.25. 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 company has a market capitalization of $59.87 billion, a PE ratio of 14.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.53. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $200.21 and a 52-week high of $277.83.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $1.38. The firm had revenue of $10.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.97 billion. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 16.10% and a net margin of 9.09%. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.69 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. This is an increase from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on TRV shares. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Travelers Companies from $270.00 to $267.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Travelers Companies from $288.00 to $296.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Travelers Companies from $287.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Travelers Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $269.00 price objective on Travelers Companies and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $271.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Paul E. Munson sold 4,052 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $273.29, for a total transaction of $1,107,371.08. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $200,868.15. This trade represents a 84.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.50, for a total value of $549,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 255,086 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $70,021,107. The trade was a 0.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 163,869 shares of company stock valued at $44,868,201. 1.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.