Lennox International Inc. (NYSE:LII) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Shares of Lennox International Inc. (NYSE:LII) have received an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the thirteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $606.00.

Several brokerages have commented on LII. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $580.00 target price (down previously from $630.00) on shares of Lennox International in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group increased their target price on Lennox International from $575.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Barclays decreased their target price on Lennox International from $674.00 to $665.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Lennox International in a research report on Monday, January 6th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $595.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Northcoast Research assumed coverage on shares of Lennox International in a report on Friday, November 22nd. They set a “sell” rating and a $475.00 price objective for the company.

Lennox International Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of LII opened at $619.87 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $626.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $609.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.08 billion, a PE ratio of 27.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.10. Lennox International has a 12-month low of $436.87 and a 12-month high of $682.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98.

Lennox International (NYSE:LII) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $5.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.12 by $1.48. Lennox International had a net margin of 15.11% and a return on equity of 126.79%. As a group, research analysts predict that Lennox International will post 22.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Lennox International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. Lennox International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lennox International news, Director Sherry Buck sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $660.74, for a total transaction of $330,370.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,693 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,118,632.82. The trade was a 22.80 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 10.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lennox International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Lennox International in the third quarter valued at $27,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lennox International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Huntington National Bank lifted its stake in Lennox International by 47.9% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 71 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in Lennox International by 50.8% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 98 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in Lennox International by 62.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 117 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.07% of the company’s stock.

Lennox International Company Profile

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.