Weiss Asset Management LP Takes Position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV)

Weiss Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 8,419 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,971,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Y.D. More Investments Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in Travelers Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its holdings 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 valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on TRV. UBS Group increased their price objective on Travelers Companies from $244.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $207.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Travelers Companies from $210.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Travelers Companies from $250.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Roth Mkm lifted their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $240.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $251.15.

Insider Activity at Travelers Companies

In related news, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.55, for a total transaction of $781,650.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 250,384 shares in the company, valued at $65,237,551.20. This represents a 1.18 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Diane Kurtzman sold 3,941 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.45, for a total transaction of $1,026,433.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,715 shares of the company's stock, valued at $446,671.75. The trade was a 69.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 78,149 shares of company stock valued at $20,295,856 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.33% of the company's stock.

Travelers Companies Price Performance

Shares of Travelers Companies stock traded down $2.11 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $261.15. 1,086,485 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,152,542. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $251.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $229.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market cap of $59.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.39, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.63. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $180.44 and a 52 week high of $269.55.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $11.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.46 billion. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 10.02% and a return on equity of 17.69%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.95 EPS. Research analysts forecast that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 18.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

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

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.