Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Boosts Stake in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV)

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 6.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 38,236 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,232 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $7,284,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of TRV. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 15.8% during the third quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,575,759 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $747,267,000 after buying an additional 623,974 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Travelers Companies by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,431,825 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $560,451,000 after purchasing an additional 29,989 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,395,810 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $227,950,000 after purchasing an additional 5,584 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 7.2% during the third quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 989,962 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $162,157,000 after purchasing an additional 66,508 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 18.3% during the 4th quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 936,058 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $178,310,000 after acquiring an additional 144,566 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.45% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on TRV shares. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $215.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Friday, April 5th. Raymond James boosted their price objective on Travelers Companies from $220.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Travelers Companies from $194.00 to $213.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Travelers Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $223.47.

Insider Buying and Selling at Travelers Companies

In other Travelers Companies news, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.96, for a total transaction of $2,139,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 22,798 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,877,860.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.96, for a total value of $2,139,600.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,798 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,877,860.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Daniel S. Frey sold 38,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.55, for a total transaction of $8,076,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,147,865.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 56,635 shares of company stock valued at $12,057,727. 1.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Travelers Companies Stock Up 1.0 %

Travelers Companies stock traded up $2.06 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $215.91. 620,353 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,472,621. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.34. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $157.33 and a 12 month high of $232.75. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $220.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $200.95. The company has a market cap of $49.44 billion, a PE ratio of 16.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.60.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 17th. The insurance provider reported $4.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.75 by ($0.06). Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 13.94% and a net margin of 7.32%. The business had revenue of $11.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.11 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.95%. This is a positive change from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 7th. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.72%.

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.