Northwest Bancshares Inc. Acquires Shares of 22,703 The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV)

Northwest Bancshares Inc. purchased a new stake in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 22,703 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,315,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Y.D. More Investments Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the second quarter worth $25,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the first quarter worth approximately $35,000. Beacon Capital Management LLC raised its position in Travelers Companies by 74.2% in the 1st quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 155 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its position in Travelers Companies by 39.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 160 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Travelers Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.45% of the company's stock.

Travelers Companies Price Performance

NYSE TRV traded down $2.97 on Wednesday, reaching $256.30. 504,499 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,298,420. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $172.38 and a 12 month high of $269.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $245.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $225.14. The company has a market cap of $58.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.62.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The insurance provider reported $5.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.79 by $1.45. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 17.69% and a net margin of 10.02%. The company had revenue of $11.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.95 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 18.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be paid 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 dividend yield of 1.64%. Travelers Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.54%.

Insider Activity

In other Travelers Companies news, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 40,524 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 221,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $57,726,870.88. This trade represents a 15.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Maria Olivo sold 10,410 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.80, for a total value of $2,725,338.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 111,162 shares of the company's stock, valued at $29,102,211.60. The trade was a 8.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 74,409 shares of company stock valued at $19,305,504. Insiders own 1.33% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on TRV shares. Barclays increased their price target on Travelers Companies from $286.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Travelers Companies from $250.00 to $273.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Roth Mkm raised their price target on Travelers Companies from $240.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Travelers Companies from $210.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Travelers Companies from $233.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $247.90.

Travelers Companies Company 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.