Louisiana-Pacific (NYSE:LPX) Shares Gap Down - Should You Sell?

Louisiana-Pacific Co. (NYSE:LPX - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $112.94, but opened at $105.99. Louisiana-Pacific shares last traded at $104.33, with a volume of 138,773 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on LPX. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Louisiana-Pacific in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Louisiana-Pacific from $90.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Louisiana-Pacific from $105.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday. DA Davidson dropped their target price on shares of Louisiana-Pacific from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Louisiana-Pacific from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, November 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Louisiana-Pacific has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $108.00.

Louisiana-Pacific Price Performance

The company's 50 day simple moving average is $110.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $106.49. The company has a current ratio of 2.86, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company has a market capitalization of $6.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.80, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.95.

Louisiana-Pacific (NYSE:LPX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $681.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $666.75 million. Louisiana-Pacific had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 25.35%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.71 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Louisiana-Pacific Co. will post 5.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Louisiana-Pacific Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Lizanne C. Gottung sold 2,500 shares of Louisiana-Pacific stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.50, for a total value of $283,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 18,513 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,101,225.50. The trade was a 11.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.26% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Louisiana-Pacific

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LPX. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 98.8% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 318 shares of the building manufacturing company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Louisiana-Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 158.5% during the fourth 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 period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Louisiana-Pacific during the third quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 61.0% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 430 shares of the building manufacturing company's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.73% of the company's stock.

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.