Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Lowered to "Hold" Rating by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded LSB Industries to “Hold” from “Buy.” The broader analyst consensus is also “Hold,” with five hold ratings and an average price target of $14.67.
• LSB Industries reported a quarterly loss of $0.09 per share, missing the $0.33 consensus estimate by $0.42, although revenue of $168.09 million exceeded expectations.
• Shares opened at $10.86, below both their 50-day moving average of $11.62 and 200-day moving average of $12.29. Two insiders recently sold shares, while institutional investors own 73.67% of the company.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Lsb Industries in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. UBS Group set a $16.00 price objective on shares of Lsb Industries and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Lsb Industries from $15.00 to $13.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Lsb Industries currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $14.67.

Lsb Industries Stock Performance

Shares of LXU stock opened at $10.86 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $11.62 and a 200-day moving average of $12.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 2.43 and a quick ratio of 2.85. The stock has a market cap of $781.48 million, a PE ratio of 21.73 and a beta of 0.34. Lsb Industries has a one year low of $7.15 and a one year high of $17.22.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The conglomerate reported ($0.09) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.33 by ($0.42). The company had revenue of $168.09 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $155.45 million. Lsb Industries had a net margin of 5.58% and a return on equity of 6.98%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lsb Industries will post 0.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, 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 transaction of $118,278.52. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 47,452 shares of the company's stock, valued at $587,455.76. This trade represents a 16.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Lynn F. White sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.80, for a total transaction of $472,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 202,489 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,389,370.20. The trade was a 16.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC increased its position in shares of Lsb Industries by 19.1% during the second quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 122,432 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $1,323,000 after acquiring an additional 19,656 shares in the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Lsb Industries by 43.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 48,539 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $525,000 after acquiring an additional 14,769 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 138,217 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in Lsb Industries by 8.4% during 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 last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its stake in Lsb Industries by 12.5% during 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 last quarter. 73.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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