Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Sees Strong Trading Volume on Analyst Upgrade

Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU) shares saw unusually-strong 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 were traded during 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.

LXU has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Weiss Ratings raised Lsb Industries from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Lsb Industries from $11.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped 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. Zacks Research cut shares of Lsb Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Lsb Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Lsb Industries has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.63.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Barry H. Golsen sold 118,953 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.19, for a total transaction of $1,093,178.07. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 96,773 shares in the company, valued at approximately $889,343.87. The trade was a 55.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Kristy Carver sold 19,550 shares of the 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 52,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $525,603.87. This trade represents a 27.09% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 387,113 shares of company stock valued at $3,731,647 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lsb Industries

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Lsb Industries in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Lsb Industries by 2,900.0% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,500 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 4,350 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lsb Industries in the third quarter valued at about $42,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in shares of Lsb Industries by 90.3% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,019 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 2,856 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Lsb Industries during the 3rd quarter valued at about $94,000. 73.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lsb Industries Stock Up 7.0%

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $11.36 and a 200 day moving average of $9.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.74 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.78, a quick ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85.

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