LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the fourteen analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $96.27.

Several brokerages have weighed in on LYB. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $96.00 to $86.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $104.00 to $92.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Barclays cut their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $99.00 to $95.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Mizuho decreased their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $97.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 6th.

LyondellBasell Industries Price Performance

NYSE:LYB opened at $74.12 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $24.07 billion, a PE ratio of 11.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $82.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $91.20. LyondellBasell Industries has a 52 week low of $72.93 and a 52 week high of $107.02.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last issued its earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.88 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.98 by ($0.10). LyondellBasell Industries had a return on equity of 17.05% and a net margin of 5.29%. The company had revenue of $10.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.60 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.46 EPS. LyondellBasell Industries’s revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that LyondellBasell Industries will post 7.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LyondellBasell Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.23%. LyondellBasell Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 81.58%.

Insider Activity

In other LyondellBasell Industries news, Director Robin W.T. Buchanan bought 5,000 shares of LyondellBasell Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $76.06 per share, with a total value of $380,300.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 18,175 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,382,390.50. This trade represents a 37.95 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LyondellBasell Industries

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 307,496 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $29,489,000 after acquiring an additional 18,311 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 57,021 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $5,468,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 11.4% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,875,267 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $268,664,000 after purchasing an additional 293,622 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC grew its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries by 45.1% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 33,308 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,194,000 after purchasing an additional 10,359 shares during the period. Finally, Optimist Retirement Group LLC increased its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 13.1% in the third quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 21,609 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,072,000 after buying an additional 2,498 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.20% of the company’s stock.

LyondellBasell Industries Company Profile

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.