Sowell Financial Services LLC Takes Position in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)

Sowell Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 17,666 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,312,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in LyondellBasell Industries by 18.2% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,038,687 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $99,557,000 after acquiring an additional 159,803 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in 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 stake in LyondellBasell Industries by 23.1% in the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 61,897 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $5,936,000 after acquiring an additional 11,610 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in LyondellBasell Industries by 202.4% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 12,986 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $964,000 after acquiring an additional 8,691 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its stake in LyondellBasell Industries by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 271,626 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $20,174,000 after acquiring an additional 20,310 shares in the last quarter. 71.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LyondellBasell Industries Stock Performance

LYB opened at $76.48 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.06. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $76.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $83.45. 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 12-month low of $72.21 and a 12-month high of $107.02.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last released 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 period last year, the business posted $1.26 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 earnings per share for the current year.

LyondellBasell Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. LyondellBasell Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 129.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling at LyondellBasell Industries

In other news, Director Robin W.T. Buchanan acquired 5,000 shares of LyondellBasell Industries stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $76.06 per share, for a total transaction of $380,300.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 18,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,382,390.50. The trade was a 37.95 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on LYB. StockNews.com downgraded LyondellBasell Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on 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 dropped their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $96.00 to $86.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $88.25.

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.