Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Reaches New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $12.71 and last traded at $12.66, with a volume of 1374792 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $11.94.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on LXU. Wall Street Zen upgraded Lsb Industries from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Zacks Research cut shares of Lsb Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Lsb Industries from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. UBS Group reaffirmed 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Lsb Industries from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $10.92.

Lsb Industries Stock Up 6.0%

The firm has a market cap of $909.62 million, a P/E ratio of 37.24 and a beta of 0.66. 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’s fifty day moving average is $9.71 and its 200 day moving average is $8.99.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) last issued 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. 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 the consensus estimate of $153.88 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Lsb Industries Inc. will post -0.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Barry H. Golsen sold 118,953 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director directly owned 96,773 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $889,343.87. This trade represents a 55.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Kristy Carver sold 19,550 shares of Lsb Industries stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.99, for a total transaction of $195,304.50. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 52,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $525,603.87. This trade represents a 27.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 498,555 shares of company stock worth $4,739,351. Insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Gendell Jeffrey L grew its position in Lsb Industries by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Gendell Jeffrey L now owns 2,134,130 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $18,140,000 after buying an additional 75,323 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of Lsb Industries by 5.8% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,990,812 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $15,688,000 after purchasing an additional 109,944 shares during the period. Systematic Financial Management LP raised its stake in Lsb Industries by 1.8% in the second quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 1,817,498 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $14,176,000 after purchasing an additional 32,373 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Lsb Industries by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,280,864 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $10,890,000 after purchasing an additional 14,125 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Lsb Industries by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 965,757 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $8,209,000 after buying an additional 109,603 shares in the last quarter. 73.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.