Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Sets New 52-Week High on Analyst Upgrade

Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday after Wall Street Zen upgraded the stock from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating. The company traded as high as $11.54 and last traded at $11.53, with a volume of 1528124 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $10.02.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised 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. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $9.75 target price (up from $9.50) on shares of Lsb Industries in a report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Lsb Industries in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Lsb Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lsb Industries currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $10.92.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 directly owned 96,773 shares in the company, valued at $889,343.87. This trade represents a 55.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Kristy Carver sold 19,550 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.99, for a total transaction of $195,304.50. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 52,613 shares in the company, valued at $525,603.87. The trade was a 27.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 610,823 shares of company stock valued at $5,767,726. 4.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LXU. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Lsb Industries during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of Lsb Industries by 2,900.0% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,500 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 4,350 shares during the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lsb Industries in the third quarter worth approximately $42,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in Lsb Industries by 90.3% in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in Lsb Industries in the third quarter valued at approximately $94,000. 73.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lsb Industries Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.84, a quick ratio of 2.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $9.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $8.89. The firm has a market cap of $835.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.14 and a beta of 0.74.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The conglomerate reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.04. Lsb Industries had a net margin of 4.00% and a return on equity of 4.95%. The firm had revenue of $165.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $153.88 million. As a group, research analysts expect that Lsb Industries Inc. will post -0.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.