LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Shares Bought by NFJ Investment Group LLC

NFJ Investment Group LLC grew its stake in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) by 17.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 29,879 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,509 shares during the period. NFJ Investment Group LLC’s holdings in LyondellBasell Industries were worth $2,219,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Webster Bank N. A. grew its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 70.4% during the fourth quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 346 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Cairn Investment Group Inc. increased its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Cairn Investment Group Inc. now owns 42,147 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $3,130,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the period. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT lifted its stake in LyondellBasell Industries by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT now owns 3,608 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 1,497 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $111,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the period. Finally, Caprock Group LLC grew its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 4,008 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $298,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. 71.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

LyondellBasell Industries Stock Performance

Shares of LYB opened at $55.96 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. LyondellBasell Industries has a 52-week low of $51.11 and a 52-week high of $107.02. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $70.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $77.77. The company has a market capitalization of $18.10 billion, a PE ratio of 13.52, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.89.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last posted its quarterly 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. Equities research analysts predict that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LyondellBasell Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.58%. LyondellBasell Industries’s payout ratio is 129.47%.

Insider Activity

In other LyondellBasell Industries news, Director Michael Sean Hanley acquired 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $72.05 per share, with a total value of $270,187.50. Following the purchase, the director now owns 16,028 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,154,817.40. The trade was a 30.54 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LYB has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $80.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Royal Bank of Canada cut LyondellBasell Industries from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $62.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $51.00 price objective (down from $76.00) on shares of LyondellBasell Industries in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Citigroup dropped their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $75.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.50.

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.