Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume on Analyst Upgrade

Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Thursday after UBS Group raised their price target on the stock from $9.75 to $16.50. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Approximately 1,172,487 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 9% from the previous session’s volume of 1,078,740 shares.The stock last traded at $17.09 and had previously closed at $15.81.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Lsb Industries from $11.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Zacks Research cut shares of Lsb Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Lsb Industries from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lsb Industries from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Lsb Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $14.83.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lsb Industries

In other news, CFO Cheryl Maguire sold 7,551 shares of the business’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 value of $75,510.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 200,719 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,007,190. The trade was a 3.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry H. Golsen sold 118,953 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.19, for a total value of $1,093,178.07. Following the sale, the director 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 387,113 shares of company stock worth $3,731,647. 4.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lsb Industries

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in shares of Lsb Industries by 7.4% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 38,916 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $257,000 after acquiring an additional 2,692 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lsb Industries during the first quarter worth about $697,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Lsb Industries by 1.1% during the second 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. raised its holdings in Lsb Industries by 22.3% during the second 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in Lsb Industries by 1.8% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 89,804 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $700,000 after purchasing an additional 1,616 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.67% of the company’s stock.

Lsb Industries Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $11.64 and its 200 day moving average is $9.75. The stock has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.88 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 2.78 and a quick ratio of 2.61.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The conglomerate reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $165.05 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $153.88 million. Lsb Industries had a return on equity of 4.90% and a net margin of 4.00%. As a group, analysts predict 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.