Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Reaches New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Shares of Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $10.17 and last traded at $9.9550, with a volume of 1325539 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $9.29.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Lsb Industries Stock Up 7.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 2.63 and a current ratio of 2.84. The company has a market cap of $716.16 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -995.50 and a beta of 0.75. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $8.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.56.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $155.43 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $138.30 million. Lsb Industries had a positive return on equity of 2.70% and a negative net margin of 0.11%. Sell-side analysts predict that Lsb Industries Inc. will post -0.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lsb Industries news, CFO Cheryl Maguire sold 7,551 shares of Lsb Industries stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.00, for a total transaction of $75,510.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 200,719 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,007,190. The trade was a 3.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry H. Golsen sold 15,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.00, for a total transaction of $156,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 88,173 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $881,730. The trade was a 15.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 445,208 shares of company stock worth $4,103,442. 4.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LXU. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC increased its stake in Lsb Industries by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 136,834 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,163,000 after buying an additional 7,794 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lsb Industries by 114.4% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 39,076 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $332,000 after acquiring an additional 20,853 shares in the last quarter. 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 acquiring an additional 187,108 shares during the last quarter. PharVision Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Lsb Industries during the third quarter worth $573,000. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its holdings in Lsb Industries by 17.3% during the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 55,298 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $436,000 after acquiring an additional 8,136 shares during the period. 73.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.