Louisiana-Pacific (NYSE:LPX) Rating Increased to Buy at TD Securities

Key Points

• TD Securities upgraded Louisiana‑Pacific (NYSE:LPX) from a "hold" to a "buy" rating, while MarketBeat shows a consensus "Moderate Buy" with eight analysts recommending Buy and two recommending Sell.
• LPX beat Q1 estimates with $0.38 EPS versus a $0.14 consensus and $574M revenue versus ~$570M, but revenue was down 20.7% year‑over‑year; analysts forecast about 2.7 EPS for the current year.
• Shares opened at $72.62, trading well below the average analyst target of $100.17 and the 52‑week high of $102.86, suggesting potential upside from current levels.

Louisiana-Pacific (NYSE:LPX - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at TD Securities from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on LPX. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and set a $114.00 price objective on shares of Louisiana-Pacific in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Louisiana-Pacific from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Louisiana-Pacific in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Zacks Research lowered shares of Louisiana-Pacific from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Louisiana-Pacific from $104.00 to $90.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $100.17.

Louisiana-Pacific Price Performance

Shares of LPX stock opened at $72.62 on Thursday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $75.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $82.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 2.78. Louisiana-Pacific has a 52-week low of $66.68 and a 52-week high of $102.86. The stock has a market cap of $5.07 billion, a PE ratio of 34.75, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.60.

Louisiana-Pacific (NYSE:LPX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The building manufacturing company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.24. Louisiana-Pacific had a return on equity of 10.72% and a net margin of 5.39%.The company had revenue of $574.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $569.99 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.27 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 20.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Louisiana-Pacific will post 2.7 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director F Nicholas Grasberger III purchased 20,000 shares of Louisiana-Pacific stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was purchased at an average price 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 $3,330,177.46. The trade was a 105.52% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO William Bradley Southern sold 14,166 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 461,719 shares of the company's stock, valued at $41,226,889.51. This represents a 2.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.65% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LPX. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 4.5% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co grew its holdings in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 11,524 shares of the building manufacturing company's stock valued at $1,024,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 6,877 shares of the building manufacturing company's stock valued at $611,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its position in shares of 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 during 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.

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