BNP Paribas Financial Markets Purchases 148,890 Shares of Loews Co. (NYSE:L)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in Loews Co. (NYSE:L - Free Report) by 63.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 384,459 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 148,890 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.18% of Loews worth $32,560,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Loews during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Loews by 387.6% in the fourth quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 434 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Loews during the third quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Human Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Loews during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, Graney & King LLC purchased a new position in Loews in the 4th quarter worth approximately $56,000. Institutional investors own 58.33% of the company's stock.

Loews Stock Performance

NYSE:L traded up $0.41 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $88.38. The company had a trading volume of 507,915 shares, compared to its average volume of 731,321. The firm has a market cap of $18.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.81 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $86.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $84.96. Loews Co. has a 52 week low of $73.15 and a 52 week high of $92.42.

Loews (NYSE:L - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $4.49 billion during the quarter. Loews had a return on equity of 8.04% and a net margin of 8.08%.

Loews Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th were given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.28%. Loews's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Loews from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Loews

In related news, SVP Richard Waldo Scott sold 9,019 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.92, for a total transaction of $792,950.48. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 33,901 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,980,575.92. This trade represents a 21.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jonathan M. Tisch sold 50,000 shares of the business'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 value of $4,254,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,105,529 shares in the company, valued at approximately $604,538,407.32. This represents a 0.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 156,655 shares of company stock valued at $13,323,294. Insiders own 19.00% of the company's stock.

Loews 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.