Swiss National Bank Lowers Holdings in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)

Swiss National Bank lowered its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 734,700 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 38,400 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.23% of LyondellBasell Industries worth $54,566,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Webster Bank N. A. raised its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 70.4% during the fourth quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 346 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 268.2% in the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 405 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 295 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich purchased a new stake in LyondellBasell Industries during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in LyondellBasell Industries during the third quarter valued at $60,000. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new position in LyondellBasell Industries in the fourth quarter valued at $59,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.20% of the company’s stock.

LyondellBasell Industries Price Performance

NYSE:LYB opened at $74.24 on Friday. LyondellBasell Industries has a one year low of $71.81 and a one year high of $107.02. The stock has a market cap of $24.01 billion, a PE ratio of 17.93, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.83. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $76.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $82.86.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.75 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 previous year, the business posted $1.26 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LyondellBasell Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.22%. LyondellBasell Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 129.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut LyondellBasell Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $82.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $77.00 to $76.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $88.25.

Insider Transactions at LyondellBasell Industries

In other LyondellBasell Industries news, Director Michael Sean Hanley purchased 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $72.05 per share, for a total transaction of $270,187.50. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 16,028 shares in the company, valued at $1,154,817.40. This trade represents a 30.54 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

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.