LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Shares Sold by Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.

Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,419 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 437 shares during the period. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.’s holdings in LyondellBasell Industries were worth $1,294,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in LYB. Amundi lifted its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 48.6% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 3,858,033 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $283,452,000 after purchasing an additional 1,260,913 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the 4th quarter valued at about $69,115,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 211.9% in the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,283,163 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $123,055,000 after buying an additional 871,708 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,582,119 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $637,394,000 after acquiring an additional 558,137 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised 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 valued at $268,664,000 after acquiring an additional 293,622 shares in the last quarter. 71.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at LyondellBasell Industries

In related news, Director Michael Sean Hanley purchased 3,750 shares of LyondellBasell Industries stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were acquired 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,154,817.40. The trade was a 30.54 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.11% of the stock is owned by insiders.

LyondellBasell Industries Price Performance

Shares of LYB stock opened at $69.92 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $75.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $81.60. LyondellBasell Industries has a 12 month low of $69.79 and a 12 month high of $107.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The company has a market capitalization of $22.62 billion, a PE ratio of 16.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.06.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.75 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 firm earned $1.26 earnings per share. Analysts predict that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 earnings per share for the current year.

LyondellBasell Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. LyondellBasell Industries’s payout ratio is 129.47%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of LyondellBasell Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $82.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $96.00 to $86.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, LyondellBasell Industries currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $88.25.

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.