Jefferies Financial Group Issues Positive Forecast for Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Stock Price

Key Points

• Jefferies raised its price target on LSB Industries from $11 to $15 but kept a "hold" rating, while the Street consensus remains a "Hold" with a lower average target of $11.94.
• The stock jumped to $15.34 on heavy volume (4.43M shares) after quarterly results beat estimates—EPS $0.22 vs $0.18 and revenue $165.05M vs $153.88M—yet analysts still forecast a -$0.18 EPS for the current year.
• Insiders have sold heavily (417,185 shares, ~$4.0M) over the past 90 days even as institutional investors own about 73.7% of the company.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU - Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $11.00 to $15.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "hold" rating on the conglomerate's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's price objective would suggest a potential downside of 2.23% from the stock's current price.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on LXU. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lsb Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lsb Industries from a "sell (d-)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Lsb Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Lsb Industries from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $9.75 price objective (up from $9.50) on shares of Lsb Industries in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $11.94.

Lsb Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LXU traded up $1.84 during trading on Thursday, hitting $15.34. 4,428,033 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 845,734. Lsb Industries has a 1-year low of $4.88 and a 1-year high of $15.49. The company has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.11 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 2.61, a current ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The business's 50 day moving average is $10.19 and its 200-day moving average is $9.18.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The conglomerate reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.04. Lsb Industries had a return on equity of 4.90% and a net margin of 4.00%.The business had revenue of $165.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $153.88 million. Equities analysts forecast that Lsb Industries will post -0.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lsb Industries news, Director Barry H. Golsen sold 17,813 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.04, for a total value of $178,842.52. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Cheryl Maguire sold 7,551 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 200,719 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,007,190. This represents a 3.63% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 417,185 shares of company stock valued at $4,003,497. Company insiders own 4.30% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lsb Industries

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gendell Jeffrey L grew its stake in shares of Lsb Industries by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Gendell Jeffrey L now owns 2,134,130 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $18,140,000 after purchasing an additional 75,323 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Lsb Industries by 5.8% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,990,812 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $15,688,000 after buying an additional 109,944 shares in the last quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP grew its position in Lsb Industries by 1.8% during the second quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 1,817,498 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $14,176,000 after buying an additional 32,373 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lsb Industries by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,280,864 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $10,890,000 after buying an additional 14,125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Lsb Industries by 12.8% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 965,757 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $8,209,000 after acquiring an additional 109,603 shares in the last quarter. 73.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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