Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Shares Gap Down Following Weak Earnings

Key Points

• Lsb Industries Inc. shares experienced a significant gap down on Wednesday, starting at $7.74 after closing at $8.71, following a weaker than expected earnings announcement.
• The company reported earnings per share of $0.04, missing the consensus estimate of $0.18, alongside a revenue of $151.30 million, below analyst expectations of $156.76 million.
• Analysts have recently adjusted their ratings for Lsb Industries; UBS downgraded the stock from "buy" to "neutral," while Wall Street Zen upgraded it from "sell" to "hold."

Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday following a weaker than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $8.71, but opened at $7.74. Lsb Industries shares last traded at $7.87, with a volume of 184,279 shares.

The conglomerate reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.18 by ($0.14). Lsb Industries had a negative net margin of 6.15% and a negative return on equity of 0.34%. The business had revenue of $151.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $156.76 million.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on LXU shares. Wall Street Zen raised Lsb Industries from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 31st. UBS Group lowered Lsb Industries from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $9.25 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lsb Industries

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in Lsb Industries in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $71,000. LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in Lsb Industries by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 70,100 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $532,000 after acquiring an additional 1,960 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Lsb Industries by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,089,060 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $23,446,000 after acquiring an additional 12,345 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Lsb Industries by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 148,830 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $1,130,000 after acquiring an additional 10,746 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Lsb Industries by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,218,218 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $9,249,000 after acquiring an additional 7,496 shares during the period. 73.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lsb Industries Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 2.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The company has a market cap of $541.71 million, a PE ratio of -16.37 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a 50-day moving average of $8.11 and a 200-day moving average of $7.40.

Lsb Industries Company Profile

LSB Industries, Inc engages in the manufacture, marketing, and sale of chemical products. The company provides nitrogen-based fertilizers, such as ammonia, fertilizer grade high density ammonium nitrate (HDAN), and urea ammonia nitrate for fertilizer for corn, pastures, and other crops, as well as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) fertilizer blends application.