Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts' consensus is "Hold": five brokers rate LSB Industries as a hold with an average 1-year price target of $15.17, though recent analyst moves include upgrades and higher targets (e.g., Wall Street Zen to strong-buy, UBS to $16.50, Jefferies to $15.00).
• Q1 beat and solid fundamentals: LSB reported $0.27 EPS versus a $0.13 estimate and revenue of $169.49M (vs. $166.19M consensus); the company has a $1.07B market cap, a PE of 23.63, and a 12-month trading range of $6.15–$17.22.
• Insider and institutional activity diverge: insiders sold about 46,635 shares in the last 90 days (insiders own 3.0%), while institutional ownership is high at 73.67% with several funds (RBC, JPMorgan, Empowered Funds, Arrowstreet) adding positions recently.

Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Hold" by the five brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $15.1667.

Several research firms have commented on LXU. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lsb Industries from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Lsb Industries from $9.75 to $16.50 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Lsb Industries from $11.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Zacks Research lowered Lsb Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Lsb Industries from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th.

Lsb Industries Stock Performance

LXU opened at $14.88 on Friday. 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 has a 12-month low of $6.15 and a 12-month high of $17.22. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $13.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $10.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.07 billion, a PE ratio of 23.63 and a beta of 0.48.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU - Get Free Report) last released 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. The business had revenue of $169.49 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $166.19 million. Lsb Industries had a net margin of 7.16% and a return on equity of 9.06%. On average, analysts anticipate that Lsb Industries will post 0.53 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Lsb Industries

In other news, Director Barry H. Golsen sold 17,813 shares of Lsb Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.04, for a total transaction of $178,842.52. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 46,635 shares of company stock worth $468,083. 3.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lsb Industries

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in Lsb Industries by 7.4% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 38,916 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $257,000 after buying an additional 2,692 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lsb Industries during the 1st quarter worth about $697,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Lsb Industries by 22.3% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 178,493 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $1,392,000 after acquiring an additional 32,516 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in shares of Lsb Industries by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 89,804 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $700,000 after purchasing an additional 1,616 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in Lsb Industries in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,694,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.67% of the company's stock.

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.

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