Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Stock Price Up 11.9% Following Strong Earnings

Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU) traded up 11.9% during mid-day trading on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as high as $10.92 and last traded at $11.21. 90,842 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 477,107 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.02.

The conglomerate reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $165.05 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $153.88 million. Lsb Industries had a net margin of 4.00% and a return on equity of 4.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on LXU. Zacks Research lowered Lsb Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Lsb Industries in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $11.00 target price (up from $10.00) on shares of Lsb Industries in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $9.75 price target (up from $9.50) on shares of Lsb Industries in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lsb Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Lsb Industries currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $10.25.

Insider Activity

In other Lsb Industries news, Director Barry H. Golsen sold 17,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.04, for a total transaction of $178,842.52. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Kristy Carver sold 19,550 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.99, for a total value of $195,304.50. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 52,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $525,603.87. This represents a 27.09% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 610,823 shares of company stock valued at $5,767,726 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lsb Industries

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Lsb Industries during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Lsb Industries by 2,900.0% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,500 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 4,350 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Lsb Industries in the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in Lsb Industries by 90.3% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,019 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 2,856 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in Lsb Industries during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $94,000. 73.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lsb Industries Stock Up 15.1%

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $9.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $8.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 2.63 and a current ratio of 2.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $829.47 million, a PE ratio of 33.91 and a beta of 0.74.

About Lsb Industries

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.