The cheapest, with a price-earnings ratio of 6,
is Louisiana- Pacific Corp. (LPX). The Nashville,
Tennessee, company makes building materials and
is the entry for the Materials sector of the
index.
It's no mystery why the stock is cheap. The
Federal Reserve has trumpeted a warning to
investors that it will raise interest rates this
year. Rising rates are bad for housing. At 1.5
times book value (corporate net worth per share)
and 0.9 times revenue, Louisiana-Pacific may be
cheap enough to discount this problem.