Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Sets New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

Shares of Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $10.17 and last traded at $9.9550, with a volume of 1325539 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $9.29.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LXU has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lsb Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 22nd. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $9.75 target price (up previously from $9.50) on shares of Lsb Industries in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Lsb Industries in a report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research raised Lsb Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $11.00 price objective (up previously from $10.00) on shares of Lsb Industries in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $10.25.

Lsb Industries Stock Up 1.4%

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $8.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $8.58. The company has a quick ratio of 2.63, a current ratio of 2.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $711.13 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -988.50 and a beta of 0.75.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The conglomerate reported $0.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.03. Lsb Industries had a positive return on equity of 2.70% and a negative net margin of 0.11%.The firm had revenue of $155.43 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $138.30 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that Lsb Industries Inc. will post -0.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Lsb Industries news, SVP Kristy Carver sold 19,550 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.99, for a total transaction of $195,304.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 52,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $525,603.87. This trade represents a 27.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Barry H. Golsen sold 118,953 shares of Lsb Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.19, for a total transaction of $1,093,178.07. Following the sale, the director owned 96,773 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $889,343.87. The trade was a 55.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 564,188 shares of company stock valued at $5,299,643. Company insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in Lsb Industries by 7.4% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 38,916 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $257,000 after purchasing an additional 2,692 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lsb Industries in the first quarter worth about $697,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lsb Industries by 1.1% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,261,020 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $9,838,000 after buying an additional 14,313 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Lsb Industries by 22.3% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 178,493 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $1,392,000 after acquiring an additional 32,516 shares during the period. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Lsb Industries during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,412,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.67% of the company’s stock.

Lsb Industries Company Profile

LSB Industries, Inc (NYSE: LXU) is an Oklahoma City–based manufacturer of chemical products serving the agricultural, industrial and defense markets. The company operates primarily through two segments: Fertilizer Solutions and Commodities Solutions. Through its Fertilizer Solutions segment, LSB produces primary nitrogen products—including anhydrous ammonia and technical-grade ammonium nitrate—that are sold to fertilizer distributors and agricultural retailers across North America. Its Commodities Solutions segment manufactures and sells nitric acid, sodium nitrate and other nitrate-based compounds for industrial applications such as mining, water treatment and specialty chemical production, as well as defense-related formulations used in munitions and pyrotechnics.

Incorporated in 1969, LSB Industries has grown from a single production site to multiple manufacturing facilities strategically located in the central United States.