Loews (NYSE:L) Sees Large Volume Increase – Should You Buy?

Shares of Loews Co. (NYSE:L) saw strong trading volume on Monday . 457,994 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 29% from the previous session’s volume of 649,194 shares.The stock last traded at $88.19 and had previously closed at $86.77.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Loews from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday.

Loews Trading Down 1.2 %

The company has a market cap of $18.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.27 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $84.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $81.93.

Loews (NYSE:L) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter. Loews had a net margin of 9.71% and a return on equity of 9.70%.

Insider Activity at Loews

In other Loews news, Director Andrew H. Tisch sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.26, for a total transaction of $4,163,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,939,677 shares in the company, valued at approximately $994,097,507.02. This trade represents a 0.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Jonathan M. Tisch sold 3,691 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.89, for a total value of $320,710.99. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 62,370 shares of company stock valued at $5,218,627. 18.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Loews

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in L. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of Loews by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,022 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $318,000 after purchasing an additional 363 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its stake in Loews by 34.6% in the 3rd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 5,317 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $420,000 after acquiring an additional 1,368 shares during the period. Creative Planning raised its stake in Loews by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 22,102 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,747,000 after acquiring an additional 677 shares during the period. Swedbank AB lifted its holdings in Loews by 8.8% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 379,647 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $30,011,000 after purchasing an additional 30,600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Loews during the third quarter worth about $213,000. 58.33% of the stock is currently owned by 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.