Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Shares of Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU) gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $14.99, but opened at $14.00. Lsb Industries shares last traded at $13.6430, with a volume of 314,819 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LXU has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Lsb Industries from $11.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lsb Industries from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $14.00 price objective (up from $13.00) on shares of Lsb Industries in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Zacks Research cut shares of Lsb Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lsb Industries from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $15.17.

Lsb Industries Price Performance

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $13.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.43. The company has a market cap of $979.03 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.08 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 2.61 and a current ratio of 2.78.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Barry H. Golsen sold 96,554 shares of Lsb Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.06, for a total value of $971,333.24. Following the transaction, the director owned 51,894 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $522,053.64. The trade was a 65.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 165,615 shares of company stock valued at $1,664,284. Insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lsb Industries in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted 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 during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lsb Industries in the third quarter worth about $42,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in shares of Lsb Industries by 90.3% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,019 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 2,856 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Lsb Industries in the third quarter worth about $94,000. 73.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.