Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Hits New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU) shares reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $15.73 and last traded at $15.4050, with a volume of 2403255 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.43.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $9.75 price objective (up from $9.50) on shares of Lsb Industries in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Lsb Industries from $11.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Lsb Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Weiss Ratings raised Lsb Industries from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Lsb Industries from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $11.94.

Lsb Industries Trading Up 6.8%

The company’s 50-day moving average is $11.25 and its 200-day moving average is $9.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 2.61 and a current ratio of 2.78. The firm has a market cap of $1.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.31 and a beta of 0.66.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The conglomerate reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.04. Lsb Industries had a net margin of 4.00% and a return on equity of 4.90%. The firm had revenue of $165.05 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $153.88 million. On average, research analysts predict that Lsb Industries Inc. will post -0.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Barry H. Golsen sold 17,813 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.04, for a total value of $178,842.52. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Cheryl Maguire sold 7,551 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.00, for a total transaction of $75,510.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 200,719 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,007,190. This trade represents a 3.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 387,113 shares of company stock valued at $3,731,647 over the last three months. 4.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lsb Industries

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Lsb Industries by 5.9% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,880,868 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $14,671,000 after purchasing an additional 104,355 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Lsb Industries during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,412,000. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC acquired a new position in Lsb Industries during the 3rd quarter valued at about $650,000. JB Capital Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Lsb Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at about $529,000. Finally, Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of Lsb Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at about $366,000. Institutional investors own 73.67% of the company’s stock.

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.