Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Trading 6.9% Higher – Time to Buy?

Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU) shot up 6.9% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $9.97 and last traded at $9.9350. 335,195 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 34% from the average session volume of 505,641 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.29.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on LXU. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lsb Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 22nd. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $9.75 price objective (up previously from $9.50) on shares of Lsb Industries in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Zacks Research raised shares of Lsb Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Lsb Industries in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $11.00 price target (up previously from $10.00) on shares of Lsb Industries in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $10.25.

Lsb Industries Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 2.84 and a quick ratio of 2.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $711.13 million, a P/E ratio of -988.50 and a beta of 0.75. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $8.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $8.58.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The conglomerate reported $0.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $155.43 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $138.30 million. Lsb Industries had a positive return on equity of 2.70% and a negative net margin of 0.11%. As a group, analysts predict that Lsb Industries Inc. will post -0.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Lsb Industries

In other news, Director Barry H. Golsen sold 118,953 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.19, for a total transaction of $1,093,178.07. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 96,773 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $889,343.87. This represents a 55.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Kristy Carver sold 19,550 shares of Lsb Industries stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 52,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $525,603.87. The trade was a 27.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 564,188 shares of company stock worth $5,299,643. 4.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lsb Industries

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LXU. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Lsb Industries in the 2nd quarter worth $2,412,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Lsb Industries during the 2nd quarter valued at about $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 valued at $2,881,000 after buying an additional 187,108 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in Lsb Industries by 825.5% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 166,639 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $1,313,000 after buying an additional 148,634 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Lsb Industries by 31.1% in the second quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 467,113 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $3,643,000 after buying an additional 110,889 shares during the period. 73.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.