LPL Financial LLC Raises Holdings in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)

LPL Financial LLC increased its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 576,116 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,422 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC’s holdings in LyondellBasell Industries were worth $42,788,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 18.2% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,038,687 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $99,557,000 after acquiring an additional 159,803 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 3.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,229,416 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $501,501,000 after purchasing an additional 187,150 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its stake in LyondellBasell Industries by 23.1% in the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 61,897 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $5,936,000 after purchasing an additional 11,610 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC raised 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position 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 buying 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

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on LYB shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $96.00 to $86.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com downgraded LyondellBasell Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays decreased their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $88.25.

LyondellBasell Industries Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LYB opened at $69.81 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $75.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $81.28. The stock has a market cap of $22.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.86, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. LyondellBasell Industries has a 12 month low of $69.74 and a 12 month high of $107.02.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by ($0.53). LyondellBasell Industries had a net margin of 3.39% and a return on equity of 15.97%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.26 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 earnings per share for the current year.

LyondellBasell Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. LyondellBasell Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 129.47%.

Insider Activity at LyondellBasell Industries

In related news, Director Michael Sean Hanley acquired 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $72.05 per share, for a total transaction of $270,187.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 16,028 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,154,817.40. This trade represents a 30.54 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.11% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

LyondellBasell Industries 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.