LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Director Acquires $270,187.50 in Stock

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Director Michael Sean Hanley acquired 3,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $72.05 per share, for a total transaction of $270,187.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 16,028 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,154,817.40. The trade was a 30.54 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

LyondellBasell Industries Trading Up 0.5 %

LYB traded up $0.36 during trading on Thursday, hitting $72.55. 2,509,197 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,072,590. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $76.05 and a 200 day moving average of $83.20. LyondellBasell Industries has a 12-month low of $71.81 and a 12-month high of $107.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.28 by ($0.53). LyondellBasell Industries had a return on equity of 15.97% and a net margin of 3.39%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.26 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 EPS for the current year.

LyondellBasell Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.39%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. LyondellBasell Industries’s payout ratio is 129.47%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LYB. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 18.2% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,038,687 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $99,557,000 after buying an additional 159,803 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,229,416 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $501,501,000 after acquiring an additional 187,150 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 23.1% during the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 61,897 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $5,936,000 after acquiring an additional 11,610 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries by 202.4% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 12,986 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $964,000 after purchasing an additional 8,691 shares during the period. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 271,626 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $20,174,000 after purchasing an additional 20,310 shares during the last quarter. 71.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LYB has been the subject of a number of research reports. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $97.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Barclays reduced their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $82.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $77.00 to $76.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded LyondellBasell Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $88.25.

About LyondellBasell Industries

LyondellBasell Industries N.V. operates as a chemical company in the United States, Germany, Mexico, Italy, Poland, France, Japan, China, the Netherlands, and internationally. The company operates in six segments: Olefins and PolyolefinsAmericas; Olefins and PolyolefinsEurope, Asia, International; Intermediates and Derivatives; Advanced Polymer Solutions; Refining; and Technology.