Louisiana-Pacific Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:LPX)

Key Points

• Unusually high bearish options activity: Investors purchased 10,002 put options in Louisiana-Pacific, more than 21 times the typical volume of 446 contracts.
• Mixed recent performance: LPX shares rose 0.4% to $65.92, but the company’s latest quarterly earnings missed estimates, with revenue down 12.1% year over year.
• Analysts remain generally positive: Twelve analysts rate the stock a Buy, with an average target price of $93.33 versus the current share price; institutional investors own 94.73% of the company.

Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (NYSE:LPX - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading on Monday. Investors bought 10,002 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 2,143% compared to the typical volume of 446 put options.

Louisiana-Pacific Stock Up 0.4%

LPX stock traded up $0.23 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $65.92. The company's stock had a trading volume of 544,762 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,137,933. The company has a quick ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 3.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company has a market capitalization of $4.61 billion, a PE ratio of 83.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.02 and a beta of 1.63. Louisiana-Pacific has a 12 month low of $62.18 and a 12 month high of $100.34. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $69.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $72.39.

Louisiana-Pacific (NYSE:LPX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The building manufacturing company reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.16). Louisiana-Pacific had a net margin of 2.19% and a return on equity of 4.67%. The business had revenue of $664.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $667.31 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.99 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Louisiana-Pacific will post 1.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Louisiana-Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Louisiana-Pacific's payout ratio is currently 151.90%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on LPX. Zacks Research raised Louisiana-Pacific from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Louisiana-Pacific from $92.00 to $88.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Louisiana-Pacific from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $99.00 target price on shares of Louisiana-Pacific in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Louisiana-Pacific in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $90.00 target price on the stock. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Louisiana-Pacific has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $93.33.

Institutional Trading of Louisiana-Pacific

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 27.3% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 630 shares of the building manufacturing company's stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Louisiana-Pacific by 26.0% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 692 shares of the building manufacturing company's stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Louisiana-Pacific by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 9,225 shares of the building manufacturing company's stock valued at $726,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Louisiana-Pacific by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,106 shares of the building manufacturing company's stock valued at $323,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 8,875 shares of the building manufacturing company's stock worth $698,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.73% of the company's stock.

Louisiana-Pacific Company Profile

Louisiana-Pacific Corporation NYSE: LPX is a manufacturer of building products used in residential and light commercial construction. The company's portfolio includes engineered wood siding and trim, oriented strand board (OSB), and other engineered wood products designed for wall, roof, and structural applications.

Louisiana-Pacific is best known for its LP SmartSide siding and trim products, which are made from engineered wood and marketed as alternatives to traditional wood siding.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.