The Travelers Company IMPACTED by Interest Rates and 4 Stocks Hitting 52-Week Highs

Gentiva Health Servi (NASDAQ:GTIV) has announced the acquisition of North Mississippi Hospice, based in Oxford, Mississippi. North Mississippi Hospice was founded in 2006 and has offices in Tupelo, Oxford and Southaven, Mississippi. The transaction is being funded by Gentiva’s cash reserves, and it is not expected to have a material impact on the company’s financial results. The shares closed at $12.57, up $0.51 or 4.23% on the day. They have traded in a 52-week range of $2.81 to $12.72.

Jarden Corp.’s (NYSE:JAH) Board of Directors authorized an increase to the Company’s stock repurchase program which should allow the repurchase of up to $250 million in aggregate of the Company’s common stock. The company plans to use as much as $125 million of the net proceeds from the sale of the Convertible Notes for the repurchase shares of its common stock under its stock repurchase program via negotiated transactions with investors in the Convertible Notes offering. The shares closed at $51.54, up $0.63 or 1.24% on the day. They have traded in a 52-week range of $26.52 to $51.18.

Sunesis Pharmaceutic (NASDAQ:SNSS) announced that it will implement a one-time, 225-patient sample size increase to its Phase 3 VALOR trial of vosaroxin in acute myeloid leukemia, which should bring target enrollment to 675 patients. This is a response to the recommendation of the trial’s independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board after their completion yesterday of a single, pre-planned interim analysis of unblinded efficacy and safety data sets from VALOR. VALOR is a Phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, pivotal trial of vosaroxin in patients with first relapsed or refractory AML. With the revised target sample size of 675 patients, Sunesis expects full enrollment of VALOR in 2013, with unblinding of the trial expected in the first half of 2014 upon reaching 562 events and final database lock. The DSMB recommendation also triggers Royalty Pharma’s obligation to invest $25 million in Sunesis. The shares closed at $3.49, up $0.85 or 32.2% on the day. They have traded in a 52-week range of $1.01 to $3.57.

21St Century Holding (NASDAQ:TCHC) announced that its corporate name was changed to Federated National Holding Company, after receiving shareholder approval for the name change at the Company’s 2012 Annual Shareholder meeting on September 11. The company’s Nasdaq trading symbol was also changed to “FNHC.” Michael H. Braun, who is the Company’s CEO and President, stated, “The Company’s management team and Board of Directors agreed to change the name to Federated National since the majority of the company’s business is conducted through its insurance subsidiary, Federated National Insurance Company, which is known to its policyholders and agents as “Federated National” or “Federated.” The names Federated National and Federated have developed goodwill over the years with its agents and policyholders. The name change to Federated National should allow the vompany to better streamline its marketing efforts and relay its vision to its shareholders, agents and policyholders.” The shares closed at $5.95, down $0.25 or 4.03% on the day. They have traded in a 52-week range of $2.31 to $6.24.

The Travelers Compan (NYSE:TRV): CEO Jay Fishman states that if today’s interest rate environment continues through 2015, annual net income wold be  lowered $145 million during 2015 compared to 2014. Also, Fishman says the renewal rate change for business insurance in Q3-to-date has risen 7.7 percent. These comments were made at the Barclays Capital Global Financial Services Conference. The shares closed at $66.95, up $1.64 or 2.51% on the day. They have traded in a 52-week range of $45.97 to $65.72.

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