Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Lsb Industries from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. 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 report on Monday, January 12th. Zacks Research downgraded Lsb Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised Lsb Industries from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Lsb Industries from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $10.92.

Lsb Industries Trading Up 6.0%

The company has a quick ratio of 2.61, a current ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $909.62 million, a P/E ratio of 37.24 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.99.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The conglomerate reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.04. Lsb Industries had a return on equity of 4.90% and a net margin of 4.00%.The company had revenue of $165.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $153.88 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Lsb Industries Inc. will post -0.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Barry H. Golsen sold 118,953 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director directly owned 96,773 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $889,343.87. This represents a 55.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Kristy Carver sold 19,550 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.99, for a total value of $195,304.50. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 52,613 shares of the company’s stock, 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 ninety days, insiders sold 498,555 shares of company stock valued at $4,739,351. Company insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lsb Industries

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV bought a new position in shares of Lsb Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $97,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Lsb Industries by 27.8% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 313,048 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,661,000 after purchasing an additional 68,178 shares in the last quarter. VARCOV Co. acquired a new stake in Lsb Industries in the 4th quarter valued at $184,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL lifted its position in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Oxford Asset Management LLP acquired a new position in shares of Lsb Industries during the 4th quarter worth about $167,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.