Louisiana-Pacific (NYSE:LPX) Sets New 12-Month Low – What’s Next?

Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (NYSE:LPX) shares reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The company traded as low as $64.49 and last traded at $65.8310, with a volume of 1148650 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $65.32.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Louisiana-Pacific from $85.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Louisiana-Pacific from $66.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Louisiana-Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $93.00 price objective for the company. TD raised their price objective on shares of Louisiana-Pacific from $86.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Louisiana-Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $93.67.

Louisiana-Pacific Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $4.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 82.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.24 and a beta of 1.59. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $71.78 and a 200 day moving average of $73.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 3.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Louisiana-Pacific (NYSE:LPX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The building manufacturing company reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.16). Louisiana-Pacific had a return on equity of 4.67% and a net margin of 2.19%.The firm had revenue of $664.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $667.31 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.99 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Louisiana-Pacific Corporation will post 1.17 EPS for the current year.

Louisiana-Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th were given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Louisiana-Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 151.90%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Louisiana-Pacific

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Louisiana-Pacific during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $445,593,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Louisiana-Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at $14,472,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,160,434 shares of the building manufacturing company’s stock valued at $93,735,000 after acquiring an additional 18,287 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Louisiana-Pacific by 20.5% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 497,852 shares of the building manufacturing company’s stock worth $36,219,000 after acquiring an additional 84,661 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Louisiana-Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $60,184,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.73% of the company’s stock.

Louisiana-Pacific Company Profile

Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, operating as LP Building Solutions, manufactures building products used in residential, repair and remodeling, and commercial construction. Its portfolio includes oriented strand board (OSB) structural panels, siding, trim, and related engineered wood products designed for walls, roofs, floors, and exterior applications.

The company’s principal brands include LP SmartSide siding and trim, which are engineered wood products for residential and light-commercial exteriors, and LP Structural Solutions products, including OSB panels and specialty sheathing.