Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Shares Down 7.3% - What's Next?

Key Points

• Shares fell 7.3% to $13.375 on Wednesday (intraday low $13.11) with just 389,346 shares trading—about 69% below the average session volume.
• Wall Street's consensus rating is a Hold with an average target of $15.17; several firms recently lifted price targets (Jefferies to $15.00, UBS to $16.50, RBC to $14.00) but ratings remain largely neutral.
• LSB beat last quarter's estimates (EPS $0.22 vs. $0.18; revenue $165.05M vs. $153.88M) while analysts forecast -0.18 EPS for the year, and insiders have sold roughly 387,113 shares over the past three months.

Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU - Get Free Report)'s stock price fell 7.3% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $13.11 and last traded at $13.3750. 389,346 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average session volume of 1,237,117 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.43.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on LXU. Zacks Research lowered shares of Lsb Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Lsb Industries from $11.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lsb Industries from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Lsb Industries from $9.75 to $16.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $14.00 price target (up from $13.00) on shares of Lsb Industries in a report on Tuesday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $15.17.

Lsb Industries Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 2.78 and a quick ratio of 2.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $986.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.44 and a beta of 0.48. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $12.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $10.11.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Lsb Industries

In other Lsb Industries news, Director Barry H. Golsen sold 118,953 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.19, for a total value of $1,093,178.07. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 96,773 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $889,343.87. This trade represents a 55.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Cheryl Maguire sold 7,551 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.00, for a total transaction of $75,510.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 200,719 shares in the company, valued at $2,007,190. This trade represents a 3.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 387,113 shares of company stock valued at $3,731,647. Corporate insiders own 4.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV bought a new position in shares of Lsb Industries in the fourth quarter valued at $97,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 68,178 shares in the last quarter. VARCOV Co. bought a new position in shares of Lsb Industries in the fourth quarter valued at $184,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL lifted its stake 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 valued at $2,915,000 after buying an additional 292,599 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oxford Asset Management LLP bought a new position in shares of Lsb Industries in the fourth quarter valued at $167,000. 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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