Loews (NYSE:L) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Strong-Buy Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Loews (NYSE:L) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report released on Tuesday.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Loews to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Loews from $115.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st.

Loews Trading Up 1.1 %

Loews stock opened at $83.67 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.34. Loews has a 1 year low of $66.60 and a 1 year high of $84.56. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $79.83 and its 200-day moving average is $78.10. The company has a market cap of $18.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.11 and a beta of 0.82.

Loews Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 27th will be issued a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 27th. Loews’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 3.32%.

Insider Activity at Loews

In other news, Director Ann E. Berman sold 1,087 shares of Loews stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.38, for a total value of $88,460.06. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $406,737.24. The trade was a 17.86 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Andrew H. Tisch sold 75,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.16, for a total value of $6,237,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,089,677 shares in the company, valued at $1,005,377,539.32. This represents a 0.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 213,587 shares of company stock worth $17,586,460 over the last ninety days. 18.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Loews

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in L. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Loews by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 5,306 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $415,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Forsta AP Fonden bought a new position in shares of Loews during the first quarter valued at $188,000. Atomi Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Loews by 10.4% during the 1st quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,973 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Loews in the 1st quarter worth approximately $157,000. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Loews in the first quarter worth $223,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.33% of the company’s stock.

Loews Company Profile

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.