Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Shares Up 6.9% – Still a Buy?

Shares of Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU) were up 6.9% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $9.97 and last traded at $9.9350. Approximately 335,195 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 34% from the average daily volume of 505,641 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.29.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on LXU. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $9.75 price target (up previously from $9.50) on shares of Lsb Industries in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $11.00 price objective (up from $10.00) on shares of Lsb Industries in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lsb Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 22nd. Zacks Research raised shares of Lsb Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Lsb Industries in a report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $10.25.

Lsb Industries Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $716.16 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -995.50 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 2.84 and a quick ratio of 2.63. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $8.99 and its 200-day moving average is $8.55.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The conglomerate reported $0.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $155.43 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $138.30 million. Lsb Industries had a negative net margin of 0.11% and a positive return on equity of 2.70%. Analysts anticipate that Lsb Industries Inc. will post -0.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Lsb Industries

In other news, CFO Cheryl Maguire sold 7,551 shares of Lsb Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.00, for a total transaction of $75,510.00. Following the sale, 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Kristy Carver sold 19,550 shares of Lsb Industries 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 directly owned 52,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. Insiders sold a total of 445,208 shares of company stock valued at $4,103,442 over the last three months. 4.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lsb Industries

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in shares of Lsb Industries by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 89,804 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $700,000 after purchasing an additional 1,616 shares in the last quarter. First Bank & Trust raised its holdings in Lsb Industries by 13.4% during the 3rd quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 16,239 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $128,000 after purchasing an additional 1,922 shares during the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in Lsb Industries by 21.0% in the third quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 12,354 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $97,000 after buying an additional 2,148 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in Lsb Industries by 7.4% during the first 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in Lsb Industries by 90.3% in 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 in the last quarter. 73.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.