Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume Following Analyst Upgrade

Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Thursday after UBS Group raised their price target on the stock from $9.75 to $16.50. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Approximately 1,172,487 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 9% from the previous session’s volume of 1,078,740 shares.The stock last traded at $17.09 and had previously closed at $15.81.

LXU has been the subject of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings raised Lsb Industries from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Zacks Research cut shares of Lsb Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Lsb Industries from $11.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Lsb Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Lsb Industries from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $14.83.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Cheryl Maguire sold 7,551 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 200,719 shares in the company, valued at $2,007,190. This trade represents a 3.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Barry H. Golsen sold 17,813 shares of Lsb Industries stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.04, for a total value of $178,842.52. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 387,113 shares of company stock valued at $3,731,647. 4.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL lifted its holdings in Lsb Industries by 581.8% during the 4th quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 342,894 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $2,915,000 after buying an additional 292,599 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Lsb Industries in the second quarter worth $1,694,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Lsb Industries by 104.8% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 365,601 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $2,881,000 after acquiring an additional 187,108 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Lsb Industries by 301.7% in the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 205,236 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,745,000 after acquiring an additional 154,150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of Lsb Industries by 825.5% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 166,639 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,313,000 after acquiring an additional 148,634 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.67% of the company’s stock.

Lsb Industries Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a PE ratio of 49.60 and a beta of 0.66. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $11.50 and a 200-day moving average of $9.69. The company has a quick ratio of 2.61, a current ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The conglomerate reported $0.22 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $153.88 million. Lsb Industries had a return on equity of 4.90% and a net margin of 4.00%. Equities analysts anticipate that Lsb Industries Inc. will post -0.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.