Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

Shares of Lsb Industries Inc. (NYSE:LXU) gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $9.62, but opened at $10.22. Lsb Industries shares last traded at $10.1450, with a volume of 138,039 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on LXU shares. Wall Street Zen cut Lsb Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. UBS Group set a $16.00 price target on Lsb Industries and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Weiss Ratings cut Lsb Industries from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised Lsb Industries from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $13.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $14.67.

Lsb Industries Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $718.20 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.95 and a beta of 0.30. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $11.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.32. The company has a current ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 2.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The conglomerate reported ($0.09) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by ($0.42). The firm had revenue of $168.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $155.45 million. Lsb Industries had a return on equity of 6.98% and a net margin of 5.58%. Equities research analysts expect that Lsb Industries Inc. will post 0.53 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Lynn F. White sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.80, for a total transaction of $472,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 202,489 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,389,370.20. This represents a 16.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Kristy Carver sold 9,554 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.38, for a total value of $118,278.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 47,452 shares in the company, valued at approximately $587,455.76. The trade was a 16.76% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lsb Industries

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lsb Industries in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in Lsb Industries by 2,900.0% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,500 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 4,350 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lsb Industries during the 3rd quarter worth $42,000. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in Lsb Industries in the second quarter valued at $47,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in Lsb Industries by 90.3% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,019 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 2,856 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.