Lennox International (NYSE:LII) Shares Gap Down – Here’s What Happened

Lennox International Inc. (NYSE:LII)’s share price gapped down prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $524.25, but opened at $511.10. Lennox International shares last traded at $530.92, with a volume of 19,514 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on LII shares. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Lennox International from $575.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $750.00 price target on shares of Lennox International in a report on Friday, March 7th. Mizuho downgraded shares of Lennox International from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $675.00 to $625.00 in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Lennox International in a report on Monday, January 6th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $595.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $580.00 price target (down previously from $630.00) on shares of Lennox International in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $614.62.

Lennox International Trading Up 0.4 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The stock has a market cap of $18.73 billion, a PE ratio of 23.45, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.07. The company’s fifty day moving average is $590.77 and its 200-day moving average is $613.94.

Lennox International (NYSE:LII) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $5.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.12 by $1.48. Lennox International had a return on equity of 126.79% and a net margin of 15.11%. On average, analysts predict that Lennox International Inc. will post 22.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lennox International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. Lennox International’s payout ratio is 20.41%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Chris Kosel sold 194 shares of Lennox International stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $644.20, for a total value of $124,974.80. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,282 shares in the company, valued at $825,864.40. This trade represents a 13.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 10.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lennox International

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its position in shares of Lennox International by 0.8% during the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 17,333 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,474,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lennox International by 2.2% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 571,095 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $345,645,000 after buying an additional 12,183 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its holdings in Lennox International by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 3,960 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,393,000 after acquiring an additional 841 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Lennox International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $124,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Lennox International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.07% of the company’s stock.

About Lennox International

Lennox International Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets a range of products for the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration markets in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The Home Comfort Solutions segment provides furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, packaged heating and cooling systems, indoor air quality equipment, comfort control products, and replacement parts and supplies; residential heating, ventilation, cooling equipment, and air conditioning; and evaporator coils and unit heaters under Lennox, Dave Lennox Signature Collection, Armstrong Air, Ducane, AirEase, Concord, MagicPak, Advanced Distributor Products, Allied, Elite Series, Merit Series, Comfort Sync, Healthy Climate, iComfort, ComfortSense, and Lennox Stores name.