Louisiana-Pacific (NYSE:LPX) Sets New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (NYSE:LPX) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $73.15 and last traded at $73.27, with a volume of 72405 shares. The stock had previously closed at $75.16.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on LPX. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Louisiana-Pacific from $102.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Louisiana-Pacific in a research note on Monday, December 29th. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on Louisiana-Pacific from $117.00 to $114.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Barclays increased their target price on Louisiana-Pacific from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $104.00 target price on shares of Louisiana-Pacific in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Louisiana-Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $105.83.

Louisiana-Pacific Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 2.78. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $86.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $86.35. The stock has a market cap of $5.06 billion, a PE ratio of 34.78 and a beta of 1.78.

Louisiana-Pacific (NYSE:LPX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The building manufacturing company reported $0.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.06) by $0.09. The company had revenue of $567.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $589.96 million. Louisiana-Pacific had a net margin of 5.39% and a return on equity of 10.72%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.03 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Louisiana-Pacific Corporation will post 5.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Louisiana-Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. This is an increase from Louisiana-Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Louisiana-Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Louisiana-Pacific

In other news, Director F Nicholas Grasberger III acquired 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $85.49 per share, with a total value of $1,709,800.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 38,954 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,330,177.46. This represents a 105.52% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Lizanne M. Bruce sold 1,300 shares of Louisiana-Pacific stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.59, for a total value of $102,167.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 17,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,348,604.40. The trade was a 7.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 113,310 shares of company stock valued at $10,235,781 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Louisiana-Pacific

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LPX. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 34.3% in the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 497 shares of the building manufacturing company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its position in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 4.5% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 3,139 shares of the building manufacturing company’s stock worth $279,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its stake in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 1.5% in the third quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 11,524 shares of the building manufacturing company’s stock worth $1,024,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd increased its stake in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 2.7% in the third quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 6,877 shares of the building manufacturing company’s stock worth $611,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System raised its holdings in Louisiana-Pacific by 1.1% in the third quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 17,600 shares of the building manufacturing company’s stock valued at $1,564,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.73% of the company’s stock.

About Louisiana-Pacific

Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (NYSE: LPX) is a leading manufacturer of building materials and engineered wood products for residential, industrial and light commercial construction. The company produces a diverse portfolio of products, including oriented strand board (OSB), engineered wood siding, trim, molding, sheathing panels and subflooring. Its flagship product lines, such as LP® SmartSide® trim and siding, are designed to offer enhanced durability, moisture resistance and ease of installation, helping builders and homeowners achieve long-lasting performance in a variety of climates.

Founded in 1973 as a spin-off from Georgia-Pacific, Louisiana-Pacific established its reputation by pioneering innovative manufacturing techniques for OSB, becoming one of the first companies to bring the product to market in the 1980s.