Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Reaches New 1-Year High After Analyst Upgrade

Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday after Wall Street Zen upgraded the stock from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating. The stock traded as high as $11.54 and last traded at $11.53, with a volume of 1528124 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $10.02.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on LXU. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Lsb Industries from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Lsb Industries in a report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $9.75 price target (up from $9.50) on shares of Lsb Industries in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Lsb Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lsb Industries has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $10.92.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Barry H. Golsen sold 118,953 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.19, for a total value of $1,093,178.07. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 96,773 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $889,343.87. This trade represents a 55.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Kristy Carver sold 19,550 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.99, for a total value of $195,304.50. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 52,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $525,603.87. The trade was a 27.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 610,823 shares of company stock valued at $5,767,726. Insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lsb Industries

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in shares of Lsb Industries by 7.4% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 38,916 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $257,000 after buying an additional 2,692 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Lsb Industries in the first quarter valued at $697,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Lsb Industries by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,261,020 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $9,838,000 after purchasing an additional 14,313 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Lsb Industries by 22.3% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 178,493 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $1,392,000 after purchasing an additional 32,516 shares during the period. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lsb Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,412,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.67% of the company’s stock.

Lsb Industries Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $835.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.14 and a beta of 0.74. The company’s 50 day moving average is $9.49 and its 200 day moving average is $8.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 2.84 and a quick ratio of 2.63.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The conglomerate reported $0.22 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 4.95%. The business had revenue of $165.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $153.88 million. Research analysts forecast 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.