Loews (NYSE:L) Reaches New 1-Year High - Should You Buy?

Loews Co. (NYSE:L - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $88.62 and last traded at $88.34, with a volume of 149672 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $87.80.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Loews from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th.

Loews Stock Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average of $85.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $83.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.34. The company has a market cap of $18.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.73 and a beta of 0.80.

Loews (NYSE:L - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter. Loews had a return on equity of 8.04% and a net margin of 8.08%.

Loews Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.28%. Loews's payout ratio is currently 3.91%.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Loews

In other Loews news, Director Jonathan M. Tisch sold 3,691 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.89, for a total value of $320,710.99. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jonathan M. Tisch sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.08, for a total transaction of $4,254,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 7,105,529 shares in the company, valued at $604,538,407.32. The trade was a 0.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 158,860 shares of company stock worth $13,486,463. 18.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Loews

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Loews by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,611,751 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $127,409,000 after purchasing an additional 8,615 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Loews in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $315,000. Swedbank AB raised its stake in shares of Loews by 8.8% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 379,647 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $30,011,000 after buying an additional 30,600 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Loews by 47.8% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 37,319 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $2,950,000 after buying an additional 12,070 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in Loews by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 15,619 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,323,000 after acquiring an additional 1,085 shares during the period. 58.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Loews

Loews Corporation provides commercial property and casualty insurance in the United States and internationally. The company offers specialty insurance products, such as management and professional liability, and other coverage products; surety and fidelity bonds; property insurance products that include standard and excess property, marine and boiler, and machinery coverages; and casualty insurance products, such as workers' compensation, general and product liability, and commercial auto, surplus, and umbrella coverages.