Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Time to Buy?

Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Friday . Approximately 924,461 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 43% from the previous session’s volume of 645,120 shares.The stock last traded at $14.31 and had previously closed at $13.96.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LXU has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lsb Industries from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Lsb Industries from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lsb Industries from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $9.75 price target (up from $9.50) on shares of Lsb Industries in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Lsb Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lsb Industries has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $10.92.

Lsb Industries Trading Up 0.4%

The firm has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a PE ratio of 41.24 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $9.02. 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) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The conglomerate reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Lsb Industries Inc. will post -0.18 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Lsb Industries

In other news, SVP Kristy Carver sold 19,550 shares of Lsb Industries stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.99, for a total transaction of $195,304.50. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 52,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $525,603.87. The trade was a 27.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry H. Golsen sold 17,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.04, for a total transaction of $178,842.52. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 471,501 shares of company stock valued at $4,493,971. Company insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LXU. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lsb Industries during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in Lsb Industries by 2,900.0% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,500 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 4,350 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lsb Industries during the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in shares of Lsb Industries by 90.3% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,019 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 2,856 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Lsb Industries in the 3rd quarter worth about $94,000. Hedge funds and other 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.