Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Reaches New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $11.54 and last traded at $11.53, with a volume of 1528124 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $10.02.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on LXU shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $11.00 price target (up from $10.00) on shares of Lsb Industries in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $9.75 target price (up from $9.50) on shares of Lsb Industries in a report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Lsb Industries in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research downgraded 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 upgraded shares of Lsb Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $10.25.

Lsb Industries Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $829.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.91 and a beta of 0.74. The company’s 50 day moving average is $9.43 and its 200 day moving average is $8.85. The company has a quick ratio of 2.63, a current ratio of 2.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The conglomerate reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 return on equity of 4.95% and a net margin of 4.00%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Lsb Industries Inc. will post -0.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lsb Industries news, CFO Cheryl Maguire sold 7,551 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.00, for a total value of $75,510.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 200,719 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,007,190. This trade represents a 3.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry H. Golsen sold 17,813 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.04, for a total transaction of $178,842.52. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 610,823 shares of company stock worth $5,767,726 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lsb Industries

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new position in shares of Lsb Industries during the 4th quarter worth $97,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Lsb Industries by 27.8% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 313,048 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,661,000 after acquiring an additional 68,178 shares during the last quarter. VARCOV Co. acquired a new position in Lsb Industries during the fourth quarter worth about $184,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL lifted its holdings in shares of Lsb Industries by 581.8% in the fourth quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 342,894 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $2,915,000 after acquiring an additional 292,599 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oxford Asset Management LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Lsb Industries in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $167,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.67% of the company’s stock.

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.