Louisiana-Pacific Corporation $LPX Shares Purchased by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Key Points

• Thrivent Financial for Lutherans sharply increased its Louisiana-Pacific stake by 2,547.1% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 385,416 shares worth about $31.1 million.
• Louisiana-Pacific reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, posting EPS of $0.38 versus the $0.14 consensus, while revenue came in at $574 million, slightly above estimates.
• Analyst sentiment has turned more positive, with several firms upgrading the stock; it now carries a Moderate Buy rating and a consensus price target of $97.25, above its recent trading price of $69.93.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in shares of Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (NYSE:LPX - Free Report) by 2,547.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 385,416 shares of the building manufacturing company's stock after acquiring an additional 370,856 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned approximately 0.55% of Louisiana-Pacific worth $31,126,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Channing Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Louisiana-Pacific by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 840,500 shares of the building manufacturing company's stock valued at $74,670,000 after acquiring an additional 90,388 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. boosted its position in Louisiana-Pacific by 48.9% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 95,161 shares of the building manufacturing company's stock valued at $8,454,000 after acquiring an additional 31,244 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,549,853 shares of the building manufacturing company's stock worth $137,666,000 after purchasing an additional 28,535 shares in the last quarter. Eminence Capital LP boosted its position in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 7.9% in the 3rd quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 3,115,959 shares of the building manufacturing company's stock worth $276,822,000 after purchasing an additional 228,521 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its position in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 27.5% in the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 57,876 shares of the building manufacturing company's stock worth $5,142,000 after purchasing an additional 12,490 shares in the last quarter. 94.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on LPX shares. TD raised Louisiana-Pacific from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $86.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings raised Louisiana-Pacific from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $104.00 price objective on shares of Louisiana-Pacific in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets raised Louisiana-Pacific from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $94.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Louisiana-Pacific from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $97.25.

Louisiana-Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of LPX opened at $69.93 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $73.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $81.18. Louisiana-Pacific Corporation has a one year low of $66.68 and a one year high of $102.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 3.26. The stock has a market cap of $4.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.60.

Louisiana-Pacific (NYSE:LPX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The building manufacturing company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.24. Louisiana-Pacific had a return on equity of 7.03% and a net margin of 3.20%.The company had revenue of $574.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $569.99 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.27 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 20.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Louisiana-Pacific Corporation will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Louisiana-Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Louisiana-Pacific's payout ratio is currently 101.69%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Louisiana-Pacific news, CEO William Bradley Southern sold 14,166 shares of Louisiana-Pacific stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.29, for a total transaction of $1,264,882.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 461,719 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $41,226,889.51. The trade was a 2.98% decrease in their position. The sale 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,348,604.40. This represents a 7.04% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.65% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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