Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Upgraded to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Sunday.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. UBS Group boosted their price target on Lsb Industries from $9.75 to $16.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Zacks Research lowered 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, March 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Lsb Industries from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Lsb Industries from $11.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $14.83.

Lsb Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LXU opened at $16.28 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $11.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 2.61 and a current ratio of 2.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.88 and a beta of 0.66. Lsb Industries has a one year low of $4.88 and a one year high of $17.22.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The conglomerate reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.04. Lsb Industries had a net margin of 4.00% and a return on equity of 4.90%. The firm had revenue of $165.05 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $153.88 million. Analysts forecast that Lsb Industries will post -0.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Lsb Industries

In related news, Director Barry H. Golsen sold 17,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.04, for a total value of $178,842.52. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 52,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $525,603.87. This trade represents a 27.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 387,113 shares of company stock worth $3,731,647. 4.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in LXU. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Lsb Industries in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Lsb Industries by 2,900.0% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,500 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 4,350 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lsb Industries during the third quarter worth about $42,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in Lsb Industries by 90.3% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,019 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 2,856 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new position in shares of Lsb Industries in the 4th quarter worth about $97,000. 73.67% of the stock is 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.