Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Sets New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Shares of Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $10.03 and last traded at $9.81, with a volume of 96956 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $9.64.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LXU has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Lsb Industries in a research report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $9.75 target price (up from $9.50) on shares of Lsb Industries in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen raised Lsb Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Lsb Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Lsb Industries from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lsb Industries currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $9.92.

Lsb Industries Price Performance

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $8.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $8.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 2.63 and a current ratio of 2.84. The company has a market cap of $704.94 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -976.00 and a beta of 0.75.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The conglomerate reported $0.10 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $155.43 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $138.30 million. Lsb Industries had a positive return on equity of 2.70% and a negative net margin of 0.11%. On average, equities research analysts predict 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, Director Barry H. Golsen sold 56,744 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.10, for a total value of $516,370.40. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 132,611 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,206,760.10. The trade was a 29.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 399,407 shares of company stock valued at $3,645,627 over the last quarter. Insiders own 4.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lsb Industries

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Lsb Industries by 114.4% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 39,076 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $332,000 after acquiring an additional 20,853 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Lsb Industries by 104.8% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 365,601 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $2,881,000 after acquiring an additional 187,108 shares during the period. PharVision Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Lsb Industries during the third quarter valued at approximately $573,000. Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Lsb Industries by 17.3% during the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 55,298 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $436,000 after buying an additional 8,136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Lsb Industries during the third quarter valued at about $94,000. Hedge funds and other 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.