Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• LSB Industries has a consensus analyst rating of “Hold” from five brokerages, with an average 12-month price target of about $15.33.
• The company recently reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, posting $0.27 EPS versus the $0.13 estimate, and revenue of $169.49 million topped forecasts as well.
• There has been notable insider selling, including share sales by Director Lynn F. White and SVP Kristy Carver, while institutional investors remain heavily invested, owning 73.67% of the stock.

Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the five brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $15.3333.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group set a $16.00 price objective on Lsb Industries and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Lsb Industries from $11.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lsb Industries from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Lsb Industries from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, June 14th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $15.00 price objective (up from $14.00) on shares of Lsb Industries in a research report on Monday, May 11th.

Lsb Industries Price Performance

Shares of Lsb Industries stock opened at $11.37 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.07, a quick ratio of 2.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $817.60 million, a PE ratio of 18.04 and a beta of 0.31. The business's 50-day moving average price is $13.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.80. Lsb Industries has a 12 month low of $7.09 and a 12 month high of $17.22.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The conglomerate reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.14. Lsb Industries had a return on equity of 8.91% and a net margin of 7.16%.The firm had revenue of $169.49 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $166.19 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Lsb Industries will post 0.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Lynn F. White sold 40,000 shares of Lsb Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.80, for a total value of $472,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 202,489 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,389,370.20. This trade represents a 16.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Kristy Carver sold 9,554 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.38, for a total value of $118,278.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 47,452 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $587,455.76. The trade was a 16.76% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of Lsb Industries by 124.7% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 249,021 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $3,710,000 after purchasing an additional 138,217 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lsb Industries by 8.4% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 339,458 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $5,058,000 after purchasing an additional 26,410 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Lsb Industries by 12.5% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 50,061 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $746,000 after purchasing an additional 5,578 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lsb Industries by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 218,747 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $3,259,000 after purchasing an additional 13,511 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lsb Industries by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,792,506 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $26,708,000 after purchasing an additional 46,613 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.

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