diff --git a/pandas/_libs/sparse.pyx b/pandas/_libs/sparse.pyx
index bbdd5f0d8334c..bb8b0ed14e1d9 100644
--- a/pandas/_libs/sparse.pyx
+++ b/pandas/_libs/sparse.pyx
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@ from distutils.version import LooseVersion
 
 # numpy versioning
 _np_version = np.version.short_version
-_np_version_under1p10 = LooseVersion(_np_version) < '1.10'
-_np_version_under1p11 = LooseVersion(_np_version) < '1.11'
+_np_version_under1p10 = LooseVersion(_np_version) < LooseVersion('1.10')
+_np_version_under1p11 = LooseVersion(_np_version) < LooseVersion('1.11')
 
 np.import_array()
 np.import_ufunc()
diff --git a/pandas/compat/__init__.py b/pandas/compat/__init__.py
index 2deb29dabe764..80a2c05d86971 100644
--- a/pandas/compat/__init__.py
+++ b/pandas/compat/__init__.py
@@ -399,7 +399,7 @@ def raise_with_traceback(exc, traceback=Ellipsis):
 # dateutil minimum version
 import dateutil
 
-if LooseVersion(dateutil.__version__) < '2.5':
+if LooseVersion(dateutil.__version__) < LooseVersion('2.5'):
     raise ImportError('dateutil 2.5.0 is the minimum required version')
 from dateutil import parser as _date_parser
 parse_date = _date_parser.parse
diff --git a/pandas/compat/numpy/__init__.py b/pandas/compat/numpy/__init__.py
index 5112957b49875..cb8ad5e3ea46f 100644
--- a/pandas/compat/numpy/__init__.py
+++ b/pandas/compat/numpy/__init__.py
@@ -9,12 +9,12 @@
 # numpy versioning
 _np_version = np.__version__
 _nlv = LooseVersion(_np_version)
-_np_version_under1p10 = _nlv < '1.10'
-_np_version_under1p11 = _nlv < '1.11'
-_np_version_under1p12 = _nlv < '1.12'
-_np_version_under1p13 = _nlv < '1.13'
-_np_version_under1p14 = _nlv < '1.14'
-_np_version_under1p15 = _nlv < '1.15'
+_np_version_under1p10 = _nlv < LooseVersion('1.10')
+_np_version_under1p11 = _nlv < LooseVersion('1.11')
+_np_version_under1p12 = _nlv < LooseVersion('1.12')
+_np_version_under1p13 = _nlv < LooseVersion('1.13')
+_np_version_under1p14 = _nlv < LooseVersion('1.14')
+_np_version_under1p15 = _nlv < LooseVersion('1.15')
 
 if _nlv < '1.9':
     raise ImportError('this version of pandas is incompatible with '
diff --git a/pandas/conftest.py b/pandas/conftest.py
index b9d0087b50306..b09119895617c 100644
--- a/pandas/conftest.py
+++ b/pandas/conftest.py
@@ -70,8 +70,8 @@ def ip():
 
 
 is_dateutil_le_261 = pytest.mark.skipif(
-    LooseVersion(dateutil.__version__) > '2.6.1',
+    LooseVersion(dateutil.__version__) > LooseVersion('2.6.1'),
     reason="dateutil api change version")
 is_dateutil_gt_261 = pytest.mark.skipif(
-    LooseVersion(dateutil.__version__) <= '2.6.1',
+    LooseVersion(dateutil.__version__) <= LooseVersion('2.6.1'),
     reason="dateutil stable version")
diff --git a/pandas/core/computation/check.py b/pandas/core/computation/check.py
index bb8cc74bad3c2..2a9ed0fb9764d 100644
--- a/pandas/core/computation/check.py
+++ b/pandas/core/computation/check.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 
 try:
     import numexpr as ne
-    ver = ne.__version__
+    ver = LooseVersion(ne.__version__)
     _NUMEXPR_INSTALLED = ver >= LooseVersion(_MIN_NUMEXPR_VERSION)
 
     if not _NUMEXPR_INSTALLED:
diff --git a/pandas/core/missing.py b/pandas/core/missing.py
index 8a6a870834c83..c3e72d6c31bf5 100644
--- a/pandas/core/missing.py
+++ b/pandas/core/missing.py
@@ -347,7 +347,7 @@ def _from_derivatives(xi, yi, x, order=None, der=0, extrapolate=False):
     import scipy
     from scipy import interpolate
 
-    if LooseVersion(scipy.__version__) < '0.18.0':
+    if LooseVersion(scipy.__version__) < LooseVersion('0.18.0'):
         try:
             method = interpolate.piecewise_polynomial_interpolate
             return method(xi, yi.reshape(-1, 1), x,
diff --git a/pandas/io/feather_format.py b/pandas/io/feather_format.py
index b2bf4ab7ff7f1..1bc6526214a91 100644
--- a/pandas/io/feather_format.py
+++ b/pandas/io/feather_format.py
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ def _try_import():
                           "pip install -U feather-format\n")
 
     try:
-        feather.__version__ >= LooseVersion('0.3.1')
+        LooseVersion(feather.__version__) >= LooseVersion('0.3.1')
     except AttributeError:
         raise ImportError("the feather-format library must be >= "
                           "version 0.3.1\n"
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ def read_feather(path, nthreads=1):
     feather = _try_import()
     path = _stringify_path(path)
 
-    if feather.__version__ < LooseVersion('0.4.0'):
+    if LooseVersion(feather.__version__) < LooseVersion('0.4.0'):
         return feather.read_dataframe(path)
 
     return feather.read_dataframe(path, nthreads=nthreads)
diff --git a/pandas/io/html.py b/pandas/io/html.py
index d0861f1aa4ec6..67a48198adc27 100644
--- a/pandas/io/html.py
+++ b/pandas/io/html.py
@@ -684,7 +684,7 @@ def _parser_dispatch(flavor):
             raise ImportError(
                 "BeautifulSoup4 (bs4) not found, please install it")
         import bs4
-        if bs4.__version__ == LooseVersion('4.2.0'):
+        if LooseVersion(bs4.__version__) == LooseVersion('4.2.0'):
             raise ValueError("You're using a version"
                              " of BeautifulSoup4 (4.2.0) that has been"
                              " known to cause problems on certain"
diff --git a/pandas/io/parquet.py b/pandas/io/parquet.py
index 4a13d2c9db944..7827c3ae04d4d 100644
--- a/pandas/io/parquet.py
+++ b/pandas/io/parquet.py
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ def __init__(self):
                               "\nor via pip\n"
                               "pip install -U pyarrow\n")
 
-        if LooseVersion(pyarrow.__version__) < '0.4.1':
+        if LooseVersion(pyarrow.__version__) < LooseVersion('0.4.1'):
             raise ImportError("pyarrow >= 0.4.1 is required for parquet"
                               "support\n\n"
                               "you can install via conda\n"
@@ -58,8 +58,10 @@ def __init__(self):
                               "\nor via pip\n"
                               "pip install -U pyarrow\n")
 
-        self._pyarrow_lt_050 = LooseVersion(pyarrow.__version__) < '0.5.0'
-        self._pyarrow_lt_060 = LooseVersion(pyarrow.__version__) < '0.6.0'
+        self._pyarrow_lt_050 = (LooseVersion(pyarrow.__version__) <
+                                LooseVersion('0.5.0'))
+        self._pyarrow_lt_060 = (LooseVersion(pyarrow.__version__) <
+                                LooseVersion('0.6.0'))
         self.api = pyarrow
 
     def write(self, df, path, compression='snappy',
@@ -97,7 +99,7 @@ def __init__(self):
                               "\nor via pip\n"
                               "pip install -U fastparquet")
 
-        if LooseVersion(fastparquet.__version__) < '0.1.0':
+        if LooseVersion(fastparquet.__version__) < LooseVersion('0.1.0'):
             raise ImportError("fastparquet >= 0.1.0 is required for parquet "
                               "support\n\n"
                               "you can install via conda\n"
diff --git a/pandas/io/pytables.py b/pandas/io/pytables.py
index 2a66aea88f6d9..74cd2ba7dc4d8 100644
--- a/pandas/io/pytables.py
+++ b/pandas/io/pytables.py
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ def _tables():
         _table_mod = tables
 
         # version requirements
-        if LooseVersion(tables.__version__) < '3.0.0':
+        if LooseVersion(tables.__version__) < LooseVersion('3.0.0'):
             raise ImportError("PyTables version >= 3.0.0 is required")
 
         # set the file open policy
diff --git a/pandas/io/sql.py b/pandas/io/sql.py
index 975ad1e4ff368..26874a57c66f7 100644
--- a/pandas/io/sql.py
+++ b/pandas/io/sql.py
@@ -67,11 +67,11 @@ def _is_sqlalchemy_connectable(con):
             _SQLALCHEMY_INSTALLED = True
 
             from distutils.version import LooseVersion
-            ver = LooseVersion(sqlalchemy.__version__)
+            ver = sqlalchemy.__version__
             # For sqlalchemy versions < 0.8.2, the BIGINT type is recognized
             # for a sqlite engine, which results in a warning when trying to
             # read/write a DataFrame with int64 values. (GH7433)
-            if ver < '0.8.2':
+            if LooseVersion(ver) < LooseVersion('0.8.2'):
                 from sqlalchemy import BigInteger
                 from sqlalchemy.ext.compiler import compiles
 
diff --git a/pandas/plotting/_compat.py b/pandas/plotting/_compat.py
index d527bc08e2f08..0cc715eda2e18 100644
--- a/pandas/plotting/_compat.py
+++ b/pandas/plotting/_compat.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 def _mpl_le_1_2_1():
     try:
         import matplotlib as mpl
-        return (str(mpl.__version__) <= LooseVersion('1.2.1') and
+        return (LooseVersion(mpl.__version__) <= LooseVersion('1.2.1') and
                 str(mpl.__version__)[0] != '0')
     except ImportError:
         return False
@@ -19,8 +19,9 @@ def _mpl_ge_1_3_1():
         import matplotlib
         # The or v[0] == '0' is because their versioneer is
         # messed up on dev
-        return (matplotlib.__version__ >= LooseVersion('1.3.1') or
-                matplotlib.__version__[0] == '0')
+        return (LooseVersion(matplotlib.__version__) >=
+                LooseVersion('1.3.1') or
+                str(matplotlib.__version__)[0] == '0')
     except ImportError:
         return False
 
@@ -28,8 +29,8 @@ def _mpl_ge_1_3_1():
 def _mpl_ge_1_4_0():
     try:
         import matplotlib
-        return (matplotlib.__version__ >= LooseVersion('1.4') or
-                matplotlib.__version__[0] == '0')
+        return (LooseVersion(matplotlib.__version__) >= LooseVersion('1.4') or
+                str(matplotlib.__version__)[0] == '0')
     except ImportError:
         return False
 
@@ -37,8 +38,8 @@ def _mpl_ge_1_4_0():
 def _mpl_ge_1_5_0():
     try:
         import matplotlib
-        return (matplotlib.__version__ >= LooseVersion('1.5') or
-                matplotlib.__version__[0] == '0')
+        return (LooseVersion(matplotlib.__version__) >= LooseVersion('1.5') or
+                str(matplotlib.__version__)[0] == '0')
     except ImportError:
         return False
 
@@ -46,7 +47,7 @@ def _mpl_ge_1_5_0():
 def _mpl_ge_2_0_0():
     try:
         import matplotlib
-        return matplotlib.__version__ >= LooseVersion('2.0')
+        return LooseVersion(matplotlib.__version__) >= LooseVersion('2.0')
     except ImportError:
         return False
 
@@ -62,7 +63,7 @@ def _mpl_le_2_0_0():
 def _mpl_ge_2_0_1():
     try:
         import matplotlib
-        return matplotlib.__version__ >= LooseVersion('2.0.1')
+        return LooseVersion(matplotlib.__version__) >= LooseVersion('2.0.1')
     except ImportError:
         return False
 
@@ -70,6 +71,6 @@ def _mpl_ge_2_0_1():
 def _mpl_ge_2_1_0():
     try:
         import matplotlib
-        return matplotlib.__version__ >= LooseVersion('2.1')
+        return LooseVersion(matplotlib.__version__) >= LooseVersion('2.1')
     except ImportError:
         return False
diff --git a/pandas/tests/computation/test_compat.py b/pandas/tests/computation/test_compat.py
index af39ee9815313..c25ef4bf38cab 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/computation/test_compat.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/computation/test_compat.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ def test_compat():
     try:
         import numexpr as ne
         ver = ne.__version__
-        if ver < LooseVersion(_MIN_NUMEXPR_VERSION):
+        if LooseVersion(ver) < LooseVersion(_MIN_NUMEXPR_VERSION):
             assert not _NUMEXPR_INSTALLED
         else:
             assert _NUMEXPR_INSTALLED
@@ -37,7 +37,8 @@ def testit():
         except ImportError:
             pytest.skip("no numexpr")
         else:
-            if ne.__version__ < LooseVersion(_MIN_NUMEXPR_VERSION):
+            if (LooseVersion(ne.__version__) <
+                    LooseVersion(_MIN_NUMEXPR_VERSION)):
                 with pytest.raises(ImportError):
                     testit()
             else:
diff --git a/pandas/tests/dtypes/test_inference.py b/pandas/tests/dtypes/test_inference.py
index 092bbb36169d4..577f4238c2328 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/dtypes/test_inference.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/dtypes/test_inference.py
@@ -1186,7 +1186,7 @@ def test_nan_to_nat_conversions():
 
     # numpy < 1.7.0 is wrong
     from distutils.version import LooseVersion
-    if LooseVersion(np.__version__) >= '1.7.0':
+    if LooseVersion(np.__version__) >= LooseVersion('1.7.0'):
         assert (s[8].value == np.datetime64('NaT').astype(np.int64))
 
 
diff --git a/pandas/tests/frame/test_analytics.py b/pandas/tests/frame/test_analytics.py
index cfdb18cefee64..8505c397b4a56 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/frame/test_analytics.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/frame/test_analytics.py
@@ -1742,7 +1742,7 @@ def test_round(self):
             'col1': [1.123, 2.123, 3.123],
             'col2': [1.2, 2.2, 3.2]})
 
-        if sys.version < LooseVersion('2.7'):
+        if LooseVersion(sys.version) < LooseVersion('2.7'):
             # Rounding with decimal is a ValueError in Python < 2.7
             with pytest.raises(ValueError):
                 df.round(nan_round_Series)
diff --git a/pandas/tests/frame/test_api.py b/pandas/tests/frame/test_api.py
index 0b562269ea29d..3d2bee9e01d34 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/frame/test_api.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/frame/test_api.py
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ def test_itertuples(self):
 
         tup = next(df.itertuples(name='TestName'))
 
-        if sys.version >= LooseVersion('2.7'):
+        if LooseVersion(sys.version) >= LooseVersion('2.7'):
             assert tup._fields == ('Index', 'a', 'b')
             assert (tup.Index, tup.a, tup.b) == tup
             assert type(tup).__name__ == 'TestName'
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ def test_itertuples(self):
         tup2 = next(df.itertuples(name='TestName'))
         assert tup2 == (0, 1, 4)
 
-        if sys.version >= LooseVersion('2.7'):
+        if LooseVersion(sys.version) >= LooseVersion('2.7'):
             assert tup2._fields == ('Index', '_1', '_2')
 
         df3 = DataFrame({'f' + str(i): [i] for i in range(1024)})
diff --git a/pandas/tests/frame/test_missing.py b/pandas/tests/frame/test_missing.py
index d566c92e7738e..7e8869cbdeefb 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/frame/test_missing.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/frame/test_missing.py
@@ -21,7 +21,8 @@
 
 try:
     import scipy
-    _is_scipy_ge_0190 = scipy.__version__ >= LooseVersion('0.19.0')
+    _is_scipy_ge_0190 = (LooseVersion(scipy.__version__) >=
+                         LooseVersion('0.19.0'))
 except:
     _is_scipy_ge_0190 = False
 
@@ -717,7 +718,7 @@ def test_interp_alt_scipy(self):
         result = df.interpolate(method='pchip')
         expected.loc[2, 'A'] = 3
 
-        if LooseVersion(scipy.__version__) >= '0.17.0':
+        if LooseVersion(scipy.__version__) >= LooseVersion('0.17.0'):
             expected.loc[5, 'A'] = 6.0
         else:
             expected.loc[5, 'A'] = 6.125
diff --git a/pandas/tests/frame/test_rank.py b/pandas/tests/frame/test_rank.py
index 58f4d9b770173..02fe0edf95577 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/frame/test_rank.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/frame/test_rank.py
@@ -212,7 +212,8 @@ def test_rank_methods_frame(self):
                     sprank = sprank.astype(np.float64)
                     expected = DataFrame(sprank, columns=cols)
 
-                    if LooseVersion(scipy.__version__) >= '0.17.0':
+                    if (LooseVersion(scipy.__version__) >=
+                            LooseVersion('0.17.0')):
                         expected = expected.astype('float64')
                     tm.assert_frame_equal(result, expected)
 
diff --git a/pandas/tests/generic/test_frame.py b/pandas/tests/generic/test_frame.py
index ae73664e224cf..90d2427bb3bd7 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/generic/test_frame.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/generic/test_frame.py
@@ -173,7 +173,8 @@ def test_set_attribute(self):
         assert_series_equal(df['y'], Series([2, 4, 6], name='y'))
 
     @pytest.mark.skipif(not _XARRAY_INSTALLED or _XARRAY_INSTALLED and
-                        LooseVersion(xarray.__version__) < '0.10.0',
+                        LooseVersion(xarray.__version__) <
+                        LooseVersion('0.10.0'),
                         reason='xarray >= 0.10.0 required')
     @pytest.mark.parametrize(
         "index", ['FloatIndex', 'IntIndex',
diff --git a/pandas/tests/generic/test_series.py b/pandas/tests/generic/test_series.py
index 4773ff69e0982..e5c0708e35c51 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/generic/test_series.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/generic/test_series.py
@@ -173,7 +173,8 @@ def finalize(self, other, method=None, **kwargs):
         Series.__finalize__ = _finalize
 
     @pytest.mark.skipif(not _XARRAY_INSTALLED or _XARRAY_INSTALLED and
-                        LooseVersion(xarray.__version__) < '0.10.0',
+                        LooseVersion(xarray.__version__) <
+                        LooseVersion('0.10.0'),
                         reason='xarray >= 0.10.0 required')
     @pytest.mark.parametrize(
         "index",
diff --git a/pandas/tests/indexes/datetimes/test_tools.py b/pandas/tests/indexes/datetimes/test_tools.py
index d03951458f12a..f307a75952350 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/indexes/datetimes/test_tools.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/indexes/datetimes/test_tools.py
@@ -1294,7 +1294,7 @@ def test_parsers_dayfirst_yearfirst(self, cache):
         # 2.5.2 20/12/21   [dayfirst=1, yearfirst=0] -> 2021-12-20 00:00:00
         # 2.5.3 20/12/21   [dayfirst=1, yearfirst=0] -> 2021-12-20 00:00:00
 
-        is_lt_253 = dateutil.__version__ < LooseVersion('2.5.3')
+        is_lt_253 = LooseVersion(dateutil.__version__) < LooseVersion('2.5.3')
 
         # str : dayfirst, yearfirst, expected
         cases = {'10-11-12': [(False, False,
diff --git a/pandas/tests/indexes/timedeltas/test_arithmetic.py b/pandas/tests/indexes/timedeltas/test_arithmetic.py
index 0b60ca6e8a720..087567354d32d 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/indexes/timedeltas/test_arithmetic.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/indexes/timedeltas/test_arithmetic.py
@@ -416,14 +416,14 @@ def test_ops_ndarray(self):
         other = pd.to_timedelta(['1 day']).values
         expected = pd.to_timedelta(['2 days']).values
         tm.assert_numpy_array_equal(td + other, expected)
-        if LooseVersion(np.__version__) >= '1.8':
+        if LooseVersion(np.__version__) >= LooseVersion('1.8'):
             tm.assert_numpy_array_equal(other + td, expected)
         pytest.raises(TypeError, lambda: td + np.array([1]))
         pytest.raises(TypeError, lambda: np.array([1]) + td)
 
         expected = pd.to_timedelta(['0 days']).values
         tm.assert_numpy_array_equal(td - other, expected)
-        if LooseVersion(np.__version__) >= '1.8':
+        if LooseVersion(np.__version__) >= LooseVersion('1.8'):
             tm.assert_numpy_array_equal(-other + td, expected)
         pytest.raises(TypeError, lambda: td - np.array([1]))
         pytest.raises(TypeError, lambda: np.array([1]) - td)
@@ -436,7 +436,7 @@ def test_ops_ndarray(self):
 
         tm.assert_numpy_array_equal(td / other,
                                     np.array([1], dtype=np.float64))
-        if LooseVersion(np.__version__) >= '1.8':
+        if LooseVersion(np.__version__) >= LooseVersion('1.8'):
             tm.assert_numpy_array_equal(other / td,
                                         np.array([1], dtype=np.float64))
 
@@ -444,12 +444,12 @@ def test_ops_ndarray(self):
         other = pd.to_datetime(['2000-01-01']).values
         expected = pd.to_datetime(['2000-01-02']).values
         tm.assert_numpy_array_equal(td + other, expected)
-        if LooseVersion(np.__version__) >= '1.8':
+        if LooseVersion(np.__version__) >= LooseVersion('1.8'):
             tm.assert_numpy_array_equal(other + td, expected)
 
         expected = pd.to_datetime(['1999-12-31']).values
         tm.assert_numpy_array_equal(-td + other, expected)
-        if LooseVersion(np.__version__) >= '1.8':
+        if LooseVersion(np.__version__) >= LooseVersion('1.8'):
             tm.assert_numpy_array_equal(other - td, expected)
 
     def test_ops_series(self):
diff --git a/pandas/tests/internals/test_internals.py b/pandas/tests/internals/test_internals.py
index a22d0174947e1..4b5cbaeb7308d 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/internals/test_internals.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/internals/test_internals.py
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 from pandas.compat import zip, u
 
 # in 3.6.1 a c-api slicing function changed, see src/compat_helper.h
-PY361 = sys.version >= LooseVersion('3.6.1')
+PY361 = LooseVersion(sys.version) >= LooseVersion('3.6.1')
 
 
 @pytest.fixture
diff --git a/pandas/tests/io/formats/test_to_html.py b/pandas/tests/io/formats/test_to_html.py
index 082a37a94f75b..b263d368f41f5 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/io/formats/test_to_html.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/io/formats/test_to_html.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 div_style = ''
 try:
     import IPython
-    if IPython.__version__ < LooseVersion('3.0.0'):
+    if LooseVersion(IPython.__version__) < LooseVersion('3.0.0'):
         div_style = ' style="max-width:1500px;overflow:auto;"'
 except (ImportError, AttributeError):
     pass
diff --git a/pandas/tests/io/generate_legacy_storage_files.py b/pandas/tests/io/generate_legacy_storage_files.py
index 0b60d37d36c08..67f95c828c80e 100755
--- a/pandas/tests/io/generate_legacy_storage_files.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/io/generate_legacy_storage_files.py
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ def create_data():
                      nat=NaT,
                      tz=Timestamp('2011-01-01', tz='US/Eastern'))
 
-    if _loose_version < '0.19.2':
+    if _loose_version < LooseVersion('0.19.2'):
         timestamp['freq'] = Timestamp('2011-01-01', offset='D')
         timestamp['both'] = Timestamp('2011-01-01', tz='Asia/Tokyo',
                                       offset='M')
@@ -245,10 +245,10 @@ def create_pickle_data():
 
     # Pre-0.14.1 versions generated non-unpicklable mixed-type frames and
     # panels if their columns/items were non-unique.
-    if _loose_version < '0.14.1':
+    if _loose_version < LooseVersion('0.14.1'):
         del data['frame']['mixed_dup']
         del data['panel']['mixed_dup']
-    if _loose_version < '0.17.0':
+    if _loose_version < LooseVersion('0.17.0'):
         del data['series']['period']
         del data['scalars']['period']
     return data
@@ -260,12 +260,12 @@ def _u(x):
 
 def create_msgpack_data():
     data = create_data()
-    if _loose_version < '0.17.0':
+    if _loose_version < LooseVersion('0.17.0'):
         del data['frame']['mixed_dup']
         del data['panel']['mixed_dup']
         del data['frame']['dup']
         del data['panel']['dup']
-    if _loose_version < '0.18.0':
+    if _loose_version < LooseVersion('0.18.0'):
         del data['series']['dt_tz']
         del data['frame']['dt_mixed_tzs']
     # Not supported
diff --git a/pandas/tests/io/json/test_ujson.py b/pandas/tests/io/json/test_ujson.py
index a1c0ec3bc1a0a..cd1685f282bd2 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/io/json/test_ujson.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/io/json/test_ujson.py
@@ -417,7 +417,7 @@ def test_nat(self):
 
     def test_npy_nat(self):
         from distutils.version import LooseVersion
-        if LooseVersion(np.__version__) < '1.7.0':
+        if LooseVersion(np.__version__) < LooseVersion('1.7.0'):
             pytest.skip("numpy version < 1.7.0, is "
                         "{0}".format(np.__version__))
 
diff --git a/pandas/tests/io/parser/parse_dates.py b/pandas/tests/io/parser/parse_dates.py
index 4c0f67fa6876a..7ff2ac9ff1305 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/io/parser/parse_dates.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/io/parser/parse_dates.py
@@ -270,7 +270,7 @@ def test_yy_format_with_yearfirst(self):
 
         # See gh-217
         import dateutil
-        if dateutil.__version__ >= LooseVersion('2.5.0'):
+        if LooseVersion(dateutil.__version__) >= LooseVersion('2.5.0'):
             pytest.skip("testing yearfirst=True not-support"
                         "on datetutil < 2.5.0 this works but"
                         "is wrong")
diff --git a/pandas/tests/io/test_feather.py b/pandas/tests/io/test_feather.py
index 021f3715d472b..e9909400ce429 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/io/test_feather.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/io/test_feather.py
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ def test_basic(self):
         assert df.dttz.dtype.tz.zone == 'US/Eastern'
         self.check_round_trip(df)
 
-    @pytest.mark.skipif(fv >= '0.4.0', reason='fixed in 0.4.0')
+    @pytest.mark.skipif(fv >= LooseVersion('0.4.0'), reason='fixed in 0.4.0')
     def test_strided_data_issues(self):
 
         # strided data issuehttps://github.com/wesm/feather/issues/97
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ def test_stringify_columns(self):
         df = pd.DataFrame(np.arange(12).reshape(4, 3)).copy()
         self.check_error_on_write(df, ValueError)
 
-    @pytest.mark.skipif(fv >= '0.4.0', reason='fixed in 0.4.0')
+    @pytest.mark.skipif(fv >= LooseVersion('0.4.0'), reason='fixed in 0.4.0')
     def test_unsupported(self):
 
         # timedelta
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ def test_unsupported_other(self):
         df = pd.DataFrame({'a': pd.period_range('2013', freq='M', periods=3)})
         self.check_error_on_write(df, ValueError)
 
-    @pytest.mark.skipif(fv < '0.4.0', reason='new in 0.4.0')
+    @pytest.mark.skipif(fv < LooseVersion('0.4.0'), reason='new in 0.4.0')
     def test_rw_nthreads(self):
 
         df = pd.DataFrame({'A': np.arange(100000)})
diff --git a/pandas/tests/io/test_html.py b/pandas/tests/io/test_html.py
index 0b268dcca90e8..fd0c2b9d0218c 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/io/test_html.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/io/test_html.py
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ def _skip_if_none_of(module_names):
         _skip_if_no(module_names)
         if module_names == 'bs4':
             import bs4
-            if bs4.__version__ == LooseVersion('4.2.0'):
+            if LooseVersion(bs4.__version__) == LooseVersion('4.2.0'):
                 pytest.skip("Bad version of bs4: 4.2.0")
     else:
         not_found = [module_name for module_name in module_names if not
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ def _skip_if_none_of(module_names):
             pytest.skip("{0!r} not found".format(not_found))
         if 'bs4' in module_names:
             import bs4
-            if bs4.__version__ == LooseVersion('4.2.0'):
+            if LooseVersion(bs4.__version__) == LooseVersion('4.2.0'):
                 pytest.skip("Bad version of bs4: 4.2.0")
 
 
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ def assert_framelist_equal(list1, list2, *args, **kwargs):
 def test_bs4_version_fails():
     _skip_if_none_of(('bs4', 'html5lib'))
     import bs4
-    if bs4.__version__ == LooseVersion('4.2.0'):
+    if LooseVersion(bs4.__version__) == LooseVersion('4.2.0'):
         tm.assert_raises(AssertionError, read_html, os.path.join(DATA_PATH,
                                                                  "spam.html"),
                          flavor='bs4')
diff --git a/pandas/tests/io/test_packers.py b/pandas/tests/io/test_packers.py
index 2d1671840ce8f..b9d66426c9dcb 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/io/test_packers.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/io/test_packers.py
@@ -299,7 +299,7 @@ def test_datetimes(self):
 
         # fails under 2.6/win32 (np.datetime64 seems broken)
 
-        if LooseVersion(sys.version) < '2.7':
+        if LooseVersion(sys.version) < LooseVersion('2.7'):
             pytest.skip('2.6 with np.datetime64 is broken')
 
         for i in [datetime.datetime(2013, 1, 1),
@@ -864,7 +864,7 @@ def check_min_structure(self, data, version):
 
     def compare(self, current_data, all_data, vf, version):
         # GH12277 encoding default used to be latin-1, now utf-8
-        if LooseVersion(version) < '0.18.0':
+        if LooseVersion(version) < LooseVersion('0.18.0'):
             data = read_msgpack(vf, encoding='latin-1')
         else:
             data = read_msgpack(vf)
@@ -895,7 +895,7 @@ def compare(self, current_data, all_data, vf, version):
     def compare_series_dt_tz(self, result, expected, typ, version):
         # 8260
         # dtype is object < 0.17.0
-        if LooseVersion(version) < '0.17.0':
+        if LooseVersion(version) < LooseVersion('0.17.0'):
             expected = expected.astype(object)
             tm.assert_series_equal(result, expected)
         else:
@@ -904,7 +904,7 @@ def compare_series_dt_tz(self, result, expected, typ, version):
     def compare_frame_dt_mixed_tzs(self, result, expected, typ, version):
         # 8260
         # dtype is object < 0.17.0
-        if LooseVersion(version) < '0.17.0':
+        if LooseVersion(version) < LooseVersion('0.17.0'):
             expected = expected.astype(object)
             tm.assert_frame_equal(result, expected)
         else:
diff --git a/pandas/tests/io/test_parquet.py b/pandas/tests/io/test_parquet.py
index e7bcff22371b7..3243e7a6017c2 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/io/test_parquet.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/io/test_parquet.py
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ def pa():
 def pa_lt_070():
     if not _HAVE_PYARROW:
         pytest.skip("pyarrow is not installed")
-    if LooseVersion(pyarrow.__version__) >= '0.7.0':
+    if LooseVersion(pyarrow.__version__) >= LooseVersion('0.7.0'):
         pytest.skip("pyarrow is >= 0.7.0")
     return 'pyarrow'
 
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ def pa_lt_070():
 def pa_ge_070():
     if not _HAVE_PYARROW:
         pytest.skip("pyarrow is not installed")
-    if LooseVersion(pyarrow.__version__) < '0.7.0':
+    if LooseVersion(pyarrow.__version__) < LooseVersion('0.7.0'):
         pytest.skip("pyarrow is < 0.7.0")
     return 'pyarrow'
 
diff --git a/pandas/tests/io/test_pickle.py b/pandas/tests/io/test_pickle.py
index 91c1f19f5caab..c49339f112d6a 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/io/test_pickle.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/io/test_pickle.py
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ def compare(data, vf, version):
 def compare_sp_series_ts(res, exp, typ, version):
     # SparseTimeSeries integrated into SparseSeries in 0.12.0
     # and deprecated in 0.17.0
-    if version and LooseVersion(version) <= "0.12.0":
+    if version and LooseVersion(version) <= LooseVersion("0.12.0"):
         tm.assert_sp_series_equal(res, exp, check_series_type=False)
     else:
         tm.assert_sp_series_equal(res, exp)
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ def compare_series_ts(result, expected, typ, version):
 def compare_series_dt_tz(result, expected, typ, version):
     # 8260
     # dtype is object < 0.17.0
-    if LooseVersion(version) < '0.17.0':
+    if LooseVersion(version) < LooseVersion('0.17.0'):
         expected = expected.astype(object)
         tm.assert_series_equal(result, expected)
     else:
@@ -133,10 +133,10 @@ def compare_series_dt_tz(result, expected, typ, version):
 def compare_series_cat(result, expected, typ, version):
     # Categorical dtype is added in 0.15.0
     # ordered is changed in 0.16.0
-    if LooseVersion(version) < '0.15.0':
+    if LooseVersion(version) < LooseVersion('0.15.0'):
         tm.assert_series_equal(result, expected, check_dtype=False,
                                check_categorical=False)
-    elif LooseVersion(version) < '0.16.0':
+    elif LooseVersion(version) < LooseVersion('0.16.0'):
         tm.assert_series_equal(result, expected, check_categorical=False)
     else:
         tm.assert_series_equal(result, expected)
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ def compare_series_cat(result, expected, typ, version):
 def compare_frame_dt_mixed_tzs(result, expected, typ, version):
     # 8260
     # dtype is object < 0.17.0
-    if LooseVersion(version) < '0.17.0':
+    if LooseVersion(version) < LooseVersion('0.17.0'):
         expected = expected.astype(object)
         tm.assert_frame_equal(result, expected)
     else:
@@ -155,10 +155,10 @@ def compare_frame_dt_mixed_tzs(result, expected, typ, version):
 def compare_frame_cat_onecol(result, expected, typ, version):
     # Categorical dtype is added in 0.15.0
     # ordered is changed in 0.16.0
-    if LooseVersion(version) < '0.15.0':
+    if LooseVersion(version) < LooseVersion('0.15.0'):
         tm.assert_frame_equal(result, expected, check_dtype=False,
                               check_categorical=False)
-    elif LooseVersion(version) < '0.16.0':
+    elif LooseVersion(version) < LooseVersion('0.16.0'):
         tm.assert_frame_equal(result, expected, check_categorical=False)
     else:
         tm.assert_frame_equal(result, expected)
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ def compare_index_period(result, expected, typ, version):
 
 
 def compare_sp_frame_float(result, expected, typ, version):
-    if LooseVersion(version) <= '0.18.1':
+    if LooseVersion(version) <= LooseVersion('0.18.1'):
         tm.assert_sp_frame_equal(result, expected, exact_indices=False,
                                  check_dtype=False)
     else:
diff --git a/pandas/tests/io/test_pytables.py b/pandas/tests/io/test_pytables.py
index 3fcbf90d12494..f239b7fe7855d 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/io/test_pytables.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/io/test_pytables.py
@@ -36,8 +36,8 @@
                                 PossibleDataLossError, ClosedFileError)
 
 
-_default_compressor = ('blosc' if LooseVersion(tables.__version__) >= '2.2'
-                       else 'zlib')
+_default_compressor = ('blosc' if LooseVersion(tables.__version__) >=
+                       LooseVersion('2.2') else 'zlib')
 
 
 # testing on windows/py3 seems to fault
@@ -4270,7 +4270,7 @@ def test_select_as_multiple(self):
                           selector='df1')
 
     @pytest.mark.skipif(
-        LooseVersion(tables.__version__) < '3.1.0',
+        LooseVersion(tables.__version__) < LooseVersion('3.1.0'),
         reason=("tables version does not support fix for nan selection "
                 "bug: GH 4858"))
     def test_nan_selection_bug_4858(self):
diff --git a/pandas/tests/io/test_stata.py b/pandas/tests/io/test_stata.py
index b3ead7d9c8333..d0d7f881b37d0 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/io/test_stata.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/io/test_stata.py
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ def test_read_dta1(self, file):
         tm.assert_frame_equal(parsed, expected)
 
     def test_read_dta2(self):
-        if LooseVersion(sys.version) < '2.7':
+        if LooseVersion(sys.version) < LooseVersion('2.7'):
             pytest.skip('datetime interp under 2.6 is faulty')
 
         expected = DataFrame.from_records(
diff --git a/pandas/tests/plotting/test_boxplot_method.py b/pandas/tests/plotting/test_boxplot_method.py
index 1bc49e9e5f96a..7661b46a79061 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/plotting/test_boxplot_method.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/plotting/test_boxplot_method.py
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ def _skip_if_mpl_14_or_dev_boxplot():
     # Boxplot failures on 1.4 and 1.4.1
     # Don't need try / except since that's done at class level
     import matplotlib
-    if str(matplotlib.__version__) >= LooseVersion('1.4'):
+    if LooseVersion(matplotlib.__version__) >= LooseVersion('1.4'):
         pytest.skip("Matplotlib Regression in 1.4 and current dev.")
 
 
diff --git a/pandas/tests/scalar/test_timestamp.py b/pandas/tests/scalar/test_timestamp.py
index e23911e8d2003..e5dfbaf12b231 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/scalar/test_timestamp.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/scalar/test_timestamp.py
@@ -359,7 +359,7 @@ def test_conversion(self):
                                       '2014-01-01 00:00:00.000000001'])
     def test_repr(self, date, freq):
         # dateutil zone change (only matters for repr)
-        if dateutil.__version__ >= LooseVersion('2.6.0'):
+        if LooseVersion(dateutil.__version__) >= LooseVersion('2.6.0'):
             timezones = ['UTC', 'Asia/Tokyo', 'US/Eastern',
                          'dateutil/US/Pacific']
         else:
diff --git a/pandas/tests/series/test_analytics.py b/pandas/tests/series/test_analytics.py
index cfc319da1598d..caaa122024cba 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/series/test_analytics.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/series/test_analytics.py
@@ -757,7 +757,7 @@ def test_corr_rank(self):
         tm.assert_almost_equal(result, expected)
 
         # these methods got rewritten in 0.8
-        if scipy.__version__ < LooseVersion('0.9'):
+        if LooseVersion(scipy.__version__) < LooseVersion('0.9'):
             pytest.skip("skipping corr rank because of scipy version "
                         "{0}".format(scipy.__version__))
 
diff --git a/pandas/tests/series/test_missing.py b/pandas/tests/series/test_missing.py
index 2dbce45317639..594049d3d3bb9 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/series/test_missing.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/series/test_missing.py
@@ -24,7 +24,8 @@
 
 try:
     import scipy
-    _is_scipy_ge_0190 = scipy.__version__ >= LooseVersion('0.19.0')
+    _is_scipy_ge_0190 = (LooseVersion(scipy.__version__) >=
+                         LooseVersion('0.19.0'))
 except:
     _is_scipy_ge_0190 = False
 
diff --git a/pandas/tests/series/test_rank.py b/pandas/tests/series/test_rank.py
index e45acdedbd2a9..69bd8081ce53a 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/series/test_rank.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/series/test_rank.py
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ def test_rank_methods_series(self):
                 sprank = rankdata(vals, m if m != 'first' else 'ordinal')
                 expected = Series(sprank, index=index)
 
-                if LooseVersion(scipy.__version__) >= '0.17.0':
+                if LooseVersion(scipy.__version__) >= LooseVersion('0.17.0'):
                     expected = expected.astype('float64')
                 tm.assert_series_equal(result, expected)
 
diff --git a/pandas/tests/test_categorical.py b/pandas/tests/test_categorical.py
index b661bde434814..17f34fdf3604c 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/test_categorical.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/test_categorical.py
@@ -729,7 +729,7 @@ def f():
 
         # The following work via '__array_priority__ = 1000'
         # works only on numpy >= 1.7.1
-        if LooseVersion(np.__version__) > "1.7.1":
+        if LooseVersion(np.__version__) > LooseVersion("1.7.1"):
             pytest.raises(TypeError, lambda: a < cat)
             pytest.raises(TypeError, lambda: a < cat_rev)
 
diff --git a/pandas/tests/tseries/offsets/test_offsets.py b/pandas/tests/tseries/offsets/test_offsets.py
index d6b64896b8a60..84e811301ab4b 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/tseries/offsets/test_offsets.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/tseries/offsets/test_offsets.py
@@ -3080,7 +3080,7 @@ def test_fallback_plural(self):
             hrs_pre = utc_offsets['utc_offset_daylight']
             hrs_post = utc_offsets['utc_offset_standard']
 
-            if dateutil.__version__ < LooseVersion('2.6.0'):
+            if LooseVersion(dateutil.__version__) < LooseVersion('2.6.0'):
                 # buggy ambiguous behavior in 2.6.0
                 # GH 14621
                 # https://github.com/dateutil/dateutil/issues/321
@@ -3088,7 +3088,7 @@ def test_fallback_plural(self):
                     n=3, tstart=self._make_timestamp(self.ts_pre_fallback,
                                                      hrs_pre, tz),
                     expected_utc_offset=hrs_post)
-            elif dateutil.__version__ > LooseVersion('2.6.0'):
+            elif LooseVersion(dateutil.__version__) > LooseVersion('2.6.0'):
                 # fixed, but skip the test
                 continue
 
diff --git a/pandas/tests/tseries/test_timezones.py b/pandas/tests/tseries/test_timezones.py
index 5fd2089d234c1..af26ddb554752 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/tseries/test_timezones.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/tseries/test_timezones.py
@@ -553,11 +553,11 @@ def f():
         assert times[0] == Timestamp('2013-10-26 23:00', tz=tz, freq="H")
 
         if str(tz).startswith('dateutil'):
-            if dateutil.__version__ < LooseVersion('2.6.0'):
+            if LooseVersion(dateutil.__version__) < LooseVersion('2.6.0'):
                 # see gh-14621
                 assert times[-1] == Timestamp('2013-10-27 01:00:00+0000',
                                               tz=tz, freq="H")
-            elif dateutil.__version__ > LooseVersion('2.6.0'):
+            elif LooseVersion(dateutil.__version__) > LooseVersion('2.6.0'):
                 # fixed ambiguous behavior
                 assert times[-1] == Timestamp('2013-10-27 01:00:00+0100',
                                               tz=tz, freq="H")
@@ -1242,14 +1242,14 @@ def test_ambiguous_compat(self):
         assert result_pytz.value == result_dateutil.value
         assert result_pytz.value == 1382835600000000000
 
-        if dateutil.__version__ < LooseVersion('2.6.0'):
+        if LooseVersion(dateutil.__version__) < LooseVersion('2.6.0'):
             # dateutil 2.6 buggy w.r.t. ambiguous=0
             # see gh-14621
             # see https://github.com/dateutil/dateutil/issues/321
             assert (result_pytz.to_pydatetime().tzname() ==
                     result_dateutil.to_pydatetime().tzname())
             assert str(result_pytz) == str(result_dateutil)
-        elif dateutil.__version__ > LooseVersion('2.6.0'):
+        elif LooseVersion(dateutil.__version__) > LooseVersion('2.6.0'):
             # fixed ambiguous behavior
             assert result_pytz.to_pydatetime().tzname() == 'GMT'
             assert result_dateutil.to_pydatetime().tzname() == 'BST'
@@ -1264,7 +1264,7 @@ def test_ambiguous_compat(self):
         assert result_pytz.value == 1382832000000000000
 
         # dateutil < 2.6 is buggy w.r.t. ambiguous timezones
-        if dateutil.__version__ > LooseVersion('2.5.3'):
+        if LooseVersion(dateutil.__version__) > LooseVersion('2.5.3'):
             # see gh-14621
             assert str(result_pytz) == str(result_dateutil)
             assert (result_pytz.to_pydatetime().tzname() ==
diff --git a/pandas/util/testing.py b/pandas/util/testing.py
index 9db09f23eb849..60b95b931b993 100644
--- a/pandas/util/testing.py
+++ b/pandas/util/testing.py
@@ -329,7 +329,7 @@ def _skip_if_mpl_1_5():
     import matplotlib as mpl
 
     v = mpl.__version__
-    if v > LooseVersion('1.4.3') or v[0] == '0':
+    if LooseVersion(v) > LooseVersion('1.4.3') or str(v)[0] == '0':
         import pytest
         pytest.skip("matplotlib 1.5")
     else:
@@ -362,7 +362,7 @@ def _skip_if_no_xarray():
     xarray = pytest.importorskip("xarray")
     v = xarray.__version__
 
-    if v < LooseVersion('0.7.0'):
+    if LooseVersion(v) < LooseVersion('0.7.0'):
         import pytest
         pytest.skip("xarray version is too low: {version}".format(version=v))