Franklin Resources Inc. Grows Stock Position in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV)

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 39.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 135,957 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 38,515 shares during the quarter. 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 large investors have also made changes to their positions in TRV. Y.D. More Investments Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 39.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 160 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the third quarter valued at $41,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Travelers Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its stake in Travelers Companies by 22.1% in the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 276 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 82.45% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TRV has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Travelers Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com upgraded Travelers Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $217.00 price target (down previously from $256.00) on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $233.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $244.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $251.70.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Alan D. Schnitzer sold 40,524 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.12, for a total transaction of $10,541,102.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 221,924 shares in the company, valued at $57,726,870.88. This represents a 15.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 2,014 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total transaction of $523,640.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 250,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,099,840. The trade was a 0.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 78,149 shares of company stock worth $20,295,856 in the last quarter. 1.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Travelers Companies Stock Down 3.1 %

Travelers Companies stock opened at $236.03 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $253.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $231.02. 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 stock has a market cap of $53.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.63. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $182.59 and a twelve month high of $269.55.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last released 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. 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 the consensus estimate of $11.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.95 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 18.84 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 10th. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.