The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) Shares Sold by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV decreased its stake in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) by 36.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 160,374 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 91,182 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned 0.07% of Travelers Companies worth $37,547,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Arjuna Capital purchased a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $4,904,000. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 80,758 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $18,907,000 after buying an additional 1,823 shares during the last quarter. MQS Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 3.4% during the third quarter. MQS Management LLC now owns 1,935 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $453,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 7.7% during the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,188 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $980,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its stake in Travelers Companies by 1.0% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 890,910 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $208,580,000 after buying an additional 8,839 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on TRV shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Travelers Companies from $210.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Travelers Companies from $250.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Travelers Companies from $233.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Travelers Companies from $207.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Travelers Companies from $286.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Travelers Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $247.90.

Travelers Companies Trading Up 1.7 %

NYSE:TRV traded up $4.30 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $260.82. The stock had a trading volume of 1,299,781 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,304,455. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $169.18 and a one year high of $269.55. The company has a market capitalization of $59.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.27, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.62. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $243.91 and a 200 day moving average of $223.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

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. The business had revenue of $11.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.46 billion. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 17.69% and a net margin of 10.02%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.95 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 18.64 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.61%. Travelers Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.54%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 40,524 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.12, for a total value of $10,541,102.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 221,924 shares in the company, valued at $57,726,870.88. This trade represents a 15.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 2,014 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total value of $523,640.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 250,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at $65,099,840. This trade represents a 0.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 63,999 shares of company stock worth $16,580,166. Insiders own 1.33% of the company's stock.

Travelers Companies Profile

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.