UBS Group AG Acquires 37,327 Shares of Loews Corporation $L

Key Points

• UBS Group AG increased its stake in Loews by 4.8% in Q4, buying 37,327 shares to hold 811,194 shares (about 0.39% of the company) valued at roughly $85.43 million.
• Company insiders have been selling recently — Ann E. Berman sold 1,922 shares and Andrew H. Tisch sold 50,000 shares — with insiders offloading 105,417 shares worth $11.55 million over the last 90 days, though insiders still own 19% of the stock.
• Analyst view and fundamentals: Loews carries a consensus "Strong Buy" rating, has a $23.04 billion market cap and P/E of 14.03, reported quarterly EPS of $1.94, and pays an annualized dividend of $0.25 (yield ~0.2%).

UBS Group AG raised its holdings in Loews Corporation (NYSE:L - Free Report) by 4.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 811,194 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 37,327 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned about 0.39% of Loews worth $85,427,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in L. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its position in shares of Loews by 880.8% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 255 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Loews during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Loews during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA bought a new stake in shares of Loews during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in shares of Loews by 896.7% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 299 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares in the last quarter. 58.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (a-)" rating on shares of Loews in a research report on Friday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Loews presently has a consensus rating of "Strong Buy".

Insider Buying and Selling at Loews

In other Loews news, Director Ann E. Berman sold 1,922 shares of Loews stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.16, for a total transaction of $211,727.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,998 shares in the company, valued at approximately $550,579.68. The trade was a 27.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Andrew H. Tisch sold 50,000 shares of Loews stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.81, for a total value of $5,440,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 12,480,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,357,992,324. The trade was a 0.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 105,417 shares of company stock worth $11,549,723. 19.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Loews Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE L opened at $111.99 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $109.11 and its 200 day moving average is $106.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.04 billion, a PE ratio of 14.03 and a beta of 0.56. Loews Corporation has a twelve month low of $85.10 and a twelve month high of $114.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Loews (NYSE:L - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The insurance provider reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $4.73 billion during the quarter. Loews had a return on equity of 8.86% and a net margin of 9.03%.

Loews Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th were paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. Loews's payout ratio is presently 3.13%.

Loews Company Profile

Loews Corporation NYSE: L is a diversified holding company that owns and operates businesses across insurance, hospitality, energy-related operations and other industrial and investment activities. The company holds controlling and significant minority interests in subsidiaries that run as standalone businesses, with corporate oversight focused on capital allocation, risk management and long-term value creation for shareholders.

One of Loews' principal businesses is insurance, conducted through CNA Financial, a commercial property and casualty insurer that underwrites a range of business insurance products for corporate and institutional clients.

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