Luxfer (NYSE:LXFR) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Luxfer (NYSE:LXFR) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report released on Thursday morning.

Luxfer Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:LXFR traded down $0.05 during trading on Thursday, hitting $14.31. The stock had a trading volume of 7,973 shares, compared to its average volume of 155,281. The company has a market capitalization of $383.22 million, a PE ratio of 43.36, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 2.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $12.22 and its 200 day moving average is $11.70. Luxfer has a 12 month low of $7.55 and a 12 month high of $15.15.

Luxfer (NYSE:LXFR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.01. Luxfer had a return on equity of 9.26% and a net margin of 2.37%. The business had revenue of $99.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.70 million. Analysts anticipate that Luxfer will post 0.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Luxfer Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Friday, October 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 18th. Luxfer’s payout ratio is currently 157.58%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Graham Wardlow sold 6,500 shares of Luxfer stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.83, for a total transaction of $70,395.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 29,008 shares in the company, valued at approximately $314,156.64. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Luxfer

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LXFR. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Luxfer by 188.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,685,338 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $17,477,000 after acquiring an additional 1,101,856 shares in the last quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Luxfer in the 1st quarter worth $2,841,000. Kennedy Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Luxfer in the first quarter worth $2,242,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Luxfer by 23.1% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 899,263 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,422,000 after purchasing an additional 169,015 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Luxfer during the first quarter valued at $1,574,000. 90.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Luxfer

Luxfer Holdings PLC, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and supplies high-performance materials, components, and high-pressure gas containment devices for defense and first response, healthcare, transportation, and general industrial applications. The company operates through three segments: Elektron, Gas Cylinders, and graphic Arts.