Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. Sells 1,984 Shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. $TRV

Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. reduced its stake in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 87,857 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 1,984 shares during the period. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc.’s holdings in Travelers Companies were worth $25,484,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of TRV. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Travelers Companies by 1,820.0% in the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 96 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Navalign LLC bought a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, eCIO Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 82.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on TRV shares. Argus upgraded Travelers Companies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Brean Capital assumed coverage on Travelers Companies in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Friday, May 8th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on Travelers Companies from $259.00 to $257.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $309.13.

Insider Activity

In other Travelers Companies news, EVP Jeffrey P. Klenk sold 6,414 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.06, for a total transaction of $1,956,654.84. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,853,239.50. The trade was a 51.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Diane Kurtzman sold 2,867 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.45, for a total transaction of $869,991.15. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,607,678.10. The trade was a 35.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 27,573 shares of company stock worth $8,427,646. 1.39% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Travelers Companies Stock Down 0.2%

NYSE:TRV opened at $305.27 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $299.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $292.25. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $249.19 and a 52-week high of $313.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $64.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.50.

Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The insurance provider reported $7.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.80 by $0.91. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 24.06% and a net margin of 15.54%.The firm had revenue of $11.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.91 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 28.03 EPS for the current year.

Travelers Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 10th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. This is a positive change from Travelers Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. Travelers Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.09%.

Travelers Companies announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, January 21st that allows the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the insurance provider to reacquire up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

About Travelers Companies

The Travelers Companies, Inc (NYSE: TRV) is a leading provider of property and casualty insurance products and services. The company underwrites a broad range of commercial and personal insurance lines, offering coverage designed to protect individuals, small and midsize businesses, and large corporate clients against property loss, liability, and other operational risks. Travelers is known for combining underwriting, claims management and risk control services to help clients prevent losses and recover when incidents occur.

On the commercial side, Travelers writes primary and specialty coverages including property, general liability, commercial auto, workers’ compensation, professional and management liability, surety and inland marine.