LSB Industries

Sales of LSB's mining and industrial products jumped 41% to about 81 million dollars this quarter. That is now more than half of the company's total sales. The demand comes from new mines plus the building boom behind AI data centers, power plants, and the electric grid. Demand was so strong that LSB moved some production away from farm fertilizer to keep up.

LSB sold ammonia for 528 dollars a ton, up 32% from a year ago, while natural gas, its main raw material, got 5% cheaper. That bigger gap between cost and price helped profit more than double to 16.3 million dollars from 7.1 million, even though total sales grew only 2%. All three plants also set monthly production records this year.

A lot of today's strong prices come from trouble overseas, like attacks on Russian fertilizer plants and conflict in the Middle East. The main ammonia price benchmark is up 27% from last year, but it has already cooled from its highs earlier this year. If those problems calm down, LSB's prices and profits could slide just as fast.

LSB carries about 442 million dollars in debt against roughly 204 million in cash, so it has less cushion if prices drop. Its carbon capture project could add 25 to 30 million dollars in yearly earnings, but it is still waiting on a federal permit. The government's own timeline points to the second half of 2027.