Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Trading Up 8.2% - What's Next?

Key Points

• LXU rose 8.2% intraday to $15.61 on Tuesday (previous close $14.43) with ~689,000 shares traded, below its average session volume.
• Quarterly results beat estimates — EPS $0.22 vs. $0.18 and revenue $165.05M vs. $153.88M — but analysts' consensus remains a "Hold" with an average price target of $11.94, well under the current price.
• Insiders sold 387,113 shares in the last 90 days (insider ownership ~4.7%) while institutional investors own about 73.7% of the stock, signaling heavy institutional ownership amid recent insider selling.

Shares of Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU - Get Free Report) traded up 8.2% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $15.50 and last traded at $15.61. 688,932 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 33% from the average session volume of 1,032,648 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.43.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LXU has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lsb Industries from a "sell (d-)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Lsb Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Lsb Industries from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Lsb Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Lsb Industries from $11.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $11.94.

Lsb Industries Price Performance

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $11.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $9.55. The stock has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.09 and a beta of 0.66. 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 (NYSE:LXU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The conglomerate reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $165.05 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $153.88 million. Lsb Industries had a return on equity of 4.90% and a net margin of 4.00%. On average, analysts forecast that Lsb Industries Inc. will post -0.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lsb Industries

In other Lsb Industries news, SVP Kristy Carver sold 19,550 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.99, for a total transaction of $195,304.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 52,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $525,603.87. This trade represents a 27.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Cheryl Maguire sold 7,551 shares of the company'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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 200,719 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,007,190. This represents a 3.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 387,113 shares of company stock valued at $3,731,647. 4.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lsb Industries

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in shares of Lsb Industries by 7.4% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 38,916 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $257,000 after purchasing an additional 2,692 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in Lsb Industries in the first quarter worth approximately $697,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Lsb Industries by 1.1% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,261,020 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $9,838,000 after purchasing an additional 14,313 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Lsb Industries by 22.3% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 178,493 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $1,392,000 after buying an additional 32,516 shares during the period. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Lsb Industries in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,412,000. 73.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Lsb Industries

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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