With the U.S. economy strengthening, "big" benefits from tax cuts, and home ownership inflecting, fundamentals remain strong for the Building Products sector, Jefferies analyst Philip Ng tells investors in a research note. The analyst is focused on end markets that have lagged, names with pricing power, and good capital deployment stories. His top picks for 2018 are Owens Corning (OC), Martin Marietta (MLM), Mohawk Industries (MHK) and TopBuild (BLD). Ng raised his price target for Owens to $110, for Martin Marietta to $265, for Mohawk to $345 and for TopBuild to $89.

The company said, "The flooring industry appears to be at the bottom of this cycle, and we are managing the controllable aspects of our business to improve our results. We continue to reduce our costs through ongoing restructuring actions and additional productivity initiatives. We are aligning production with market demand to control working capital, which increases our unabsorbed overhead. To enhance sales and margins, we are upgrading our product offering with unique features and investing in new merchandising. This year we are completing our LVT, quartz countertop and premium laminate expansion projects to support our products with the greatest growth potential when the market recovers. Our other capital investments are focused on reducing cost, delivering product innovation or maintaining the business. Due to European vacation schedules, our second quarter sales are seasonally higher than the third quarter. Given these factors, we anticipate our second quarter adjusted EPS to be between $2.68 and $2.78, excluding any restructuring or other one-time charges. Residential flooring sales should lead the recovery as consumer confidence improves, the housing market strengthens, and postponed remodeling projects are initiated. Existing home sales will normalize and are a meaningful catalyst for flooring since homeowners replace it more often before listing a property or soon after completing a purchase. Across our geographies, housing has not kept pace with household formations, and substantial home construction will be required for many years to satisfy those needs. Additionally, as homes age, increased remodeling investments are required to maintain property values. As the world's largest flooring manufacturer, we expect to significantly benefit from our brand leadership, investments in new capabilities and recent acquisitions as the flooring market recovers. We have the products to inspire consumers, the infrastructure to deliver superior service and the balance sheet strength to invest in opportunities for the business."

Argus raised the firm's price target on Owens Corning to $182 from $175 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. The analyst cites the company's Q1 earnings beat while noting that the composite and building materials demand is impacted by the changes in the housing and construction markets which have been strong in recent quarters. Argus adds that the company's balance sheet is clean, and the management has recently hiked the dividend by 15%, signaling confidence in the outlook and a commitment to shareholder returns.

RBC Capital raised the firm's price target on Owens Corning to $192 from $175 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares. The company's Q1 results saw another strong margin result in Roofing, with incremental pricing gains in Roofing/Insulation driving further upside while more than offsetting ongoing Composites weakness, the analyst tells investors in a research note. RBC adds that it continues to see strength supported by lean channel inventories and solid sell-through even as comps become more difficult.

Sees Q2 EBIT margin 20%. Sees FY24 effective tax rate 24%-26%.

Sees FY24 interest expense $70M-$80M; effective tax rate on adjusted earnings 24%-26%; capital additions $550M; and depreciation and amortization $550M.