Auxier Asset Management LLC Has $11.88 Million Stock Position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Auxier Asset Management LLC reduced its position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 40,955 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 2,022 shares during the period. Travelers Companies accounts for approximately 1.7% of Auxier Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Auxier Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $11,879,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in TRV. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $723,339,000. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of 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 during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 102.0% in the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 908,559 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $263,537,000 after buying an additional 458,746 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $99,680,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 22.8% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,785,288 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $496,872,000 after buying an additional 331,170 shares during the period. 82.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Travelers Companies Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE:TRV opened at $306.55 on Thursday. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $249.19 and a 12-month 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 has a market capitalization of $65.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.48. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $300.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $294.82.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last posted its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $11.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.11 billion. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 24.06% and a net margin of 15.54%.The firm’s revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.91 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 28 earnings per share for the current year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. This is a boost from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 10th. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Travelers Companies from $340.00 to $342.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Travelers Companies from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $316.00 to $322.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Barclays lowered Travelers Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $331.00 to $295.00 in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners set a $322.00 price target on Travelers Companies in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $309.07.

Insider Activity

In other Travelers Companies news, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 6,414 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.06, for a total transaction of $1,956,654.84. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,853,239.50. The trade was a 51.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Diane Kurtzman sold 2,867 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.45, for a total value of $869,991.15. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,298 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,678.10. This represents a 35.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 37,573 shares of company stock valued at $11,504,146. Company insiders own 1.39% of the company’s stock.

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.