Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Shares Gap Down - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Shares gapped down before the open, trading from a $14.99 close to a $14.00 open and last at $13.6430 on volume of 314,819 shares.
• Analyst activity is mixed—several price-target increases and upgrades, but the consensus rating remains Hold with an average price target of $15.17.
• Lsb reported a quarterly earnings beat ($0.22 vs. $0.18 estimate) and revenue of $165.05M; the company has a market cap of about $967M and insiders have sold ~165,615 shares in the past 90 days (insiders own 4.3%).

Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU - Get Free Report) shares gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $14.99, but opened at $14.00. Lsb Industries shares last traded at $13.6430, with a volume of 314,819 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on LXU shares. UBS Group upped their price target on Lsb Industries from $9.75 to $16.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Lsb Industries from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $14.00 target price (up from $13.00) on shares of Lsb Industries in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Lsb Industries from $11.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Lsb Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $15.17.

Lsb Industries Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $13.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $10.38. The stock has a market cap of $967.46 million, a P/E ratio of 39.58 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 2.61 and a current ratio of 2.78.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The conglomerate reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.04. Lsb Industries had a return on equity of 4.90% and a net margin of 4.00%.The firm had revenue of $165.05 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $153.88 million. On average, research analysts predict that Lsb Industries Inc. will post -0.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Lsb Industries

In other Lsb Industries news, Director Barry H. Golsen sold 17,813 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.04, for a total value of $178,842.52. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 165,615 shares of company stock valued at $1,664,284. 4.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lsb Industries

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV bought a new stake in shares of Lsb Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $97,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Lsb Industries by 27.8% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 313,048 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $2,661,000 after acquiring an additional 68,178 shares during the period. VARCOV Co. bought a new stake in shares of Lsb Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $184,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL lifted its position in shares of Lsb Industries by 581.8% in the 4th quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 342,894 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $2,915,000 after acquiring an additional 292,599 shares during the period. Finally, Oxford Asset Management LLP bought a new stake in shares of Lsb Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $167,000. Institutional investors 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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