Franklin Resources Inc. Boosts Holdings in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV)

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 39.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 135,957 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 38,515 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.06% of Travelers Companies worth $32,646,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Y.D. More Investments Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its position in Travelers Companies by 39.1% in the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 160 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $41,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at $50,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 22.1% in the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 276 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Andy F. Bessette sold 4,520 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.46, for a total value of $1,145,639.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,976 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,302,736.96. This represents a 21.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 3,740 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.80, for a total transaction of $990,352.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 250,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $66,301,683.20. This represents a 1.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 78,149 shares of company stock worth $20,295,856 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.33% of the company's stock.

Travelers Companies Trading Up 0.7 %

TRV stock traded up $1.68 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $237.71. 1,266,012 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,314,053. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $253.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $231.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.96 billion, a PE ratio of 12.19, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.34. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $182.76 and a one year high of $269.55.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The insurance provider reported $5.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.79 by $1.45. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 17.69% and a net margin of 10.02%. The business had revenue of $11.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.95 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 18.84 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be given a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.77%. Travelers Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TRV has been the subject of several recent research reports. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered Travelers Companies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $280.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Travelers Companies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $286.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $216.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an "underweight" rating and set a $217.00 price objective (down from $256.00) on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $251.70.

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.