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

Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $11.54 and last traded at $11.53, with a volume of 1528124 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $10.02.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. 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 reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $9.75 price target (up from $9.50) on shares of Lsb Industries in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Zacks Research cut shares of Lsb Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Lsb Industries in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $11.00 target price (up from $10.00) on shares of Lsb Industries in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $10.25.

Lsb Industries Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average is $9.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $829.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.91 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 2.84, a quick ratio of 2.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The conglomerate reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.04. The firm 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 4.95% and a net margin of 4.00%. Analysts expect that Lsb Industries Inc. will post -0.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lsb Industries

In other Lsb Industries news, SVP Kristy Carver sold 19,550 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 52,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $525,603.87. This represents a 27.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Cheryl Maguire sold 7,551 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was 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. This represents a 3.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 610,823 shares of company stock worth $5,767,726. Corporate insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lsb Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,412,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL boosted its stake in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new position in shares of Lsb Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,694,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Lsb Industries by 104.8% in 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. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.67% of the company’s stock.

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.