Louisiana-Pacific Co. (NYSE:LPX) Shares Purchased by Van ECK Associates Corp

Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in Louisiana-Pacific Co. (NYSE:LPX - Free Report) by 51.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 58,149 shares of the building manufacturing company's stock after buying an additional 19,681 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned about 0.08% of Louisiana-Pacific worth $6,021,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 98.8% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 318 shares of the building manufacturing company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Louisiana-Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Louisiana-Pacific by 158.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 349 shares of the building manufacturing company's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Louisiana-Pacific in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Louisiana-Pacific in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. 94.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Louisiana-Pacific Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of LPX traded down $2.11 during trading on Friday, reaching $98.78. 995,005 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 671,279. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $110.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $106.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 2.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. Louisiana-Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $67.47 and a twelve month high of $122.87. The stock has a market cap of $6.94 billion, a PE ratio of 16.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.95.

Louisiana-Pacific (NYSE:LPX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The building manufacturing company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.24. Louisiana-Pacific had a return on equity of 25.35% and a net margin of 14.31%. The company had revenue of $681.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $666.75 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.71 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Louisiana-Pacific Co. will post 5.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Louisiana-Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.28 per share. This is a positive change from Louisiana-Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.13%. Louisiana-Pacific's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on LPX shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Louisiana-Pacific from $105.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday. StockNews.com cut Louisiana-Pacific from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, November 10th. TD Securities reduced their price target on Louisiana-Pacific from $123.00 to $117.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of Louisiana-Pacific in a report on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Louisiana-Pacific from $90.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $108.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Louisiana-Pacific news, Director Lizanne C. Gottung sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.50, for a total transaction of $283,750.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 18,513 shares in the company, valued at $2,101,225.50. This represents a 11.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Louisiana-Pacific Company Profile

Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides building solutions primarily for use in new home construction, repair and remodeling, and outdoor structure markets. It operates through Siding, Oriented Strand Board, LP South America, and Other segments. The Siding segment offers LP SmartSide trim and siding products, LP SmartSide ExpertFinish trim and siding products, LP BuilderSeries lap siding products, and LP Outdoor Building Solutions; and engineered wood siding, trim, soffit, and fascia products.