Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Sees Large Volume Increase After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU) saw strong trading volume on Friday after Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on the stock from $11.00 to $15.00. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a hold rating on the stock. 779,996 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 11% from the previous session’s volume of 874,736 shares.The stock last traded at $14.3850 and had previously closed at $15.44.

LXU has been the topic of several other research reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Lsb Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. UBS Group reissued 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, January 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered Lsb Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 8th. Weiss Ratings raised Lsb Industries from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Lsb Industries from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.94.

Insider Activity at Lsb Industries

In related news, SVP Kristy Carver sold 19,550 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.99, for a total value of $195,304.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 52,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $525,603.87. This represents a 27.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry H. Golsen sold 17,813 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.04, for a total transaction of $178,842.52. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 387,113 shares of company stock valued at $3,731,647 over the last quarter. 4.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lsb Industries

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in Lsb Industries by 5.9% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,880,868 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $14,671,000 after acquiring an additional 104,355 shares in the last quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lsb Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,412,000. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lsb Industries in the 3rd quarter worth about $650,000. JB Capital Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Lsb Industries in the 2nd quarter worth about $529,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Lsb Industries by 104.8% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 365,601 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $2,881,000 after purchasing an additional 187,108 shares in the last quarter. 73.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lsb Industries Stock Down 7.9%

The firm has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.83 and a beta of 0.66. The business’s 50-day moving average is $10.33 and its 200-day moving average is $9.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 2.61 and a current ratio of 2.78.

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

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.