LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the fourteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $94.33.

Several analysts recently commented on LYB shares. Mizuho dropped their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $97.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $110.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $100.00 to $94.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 10th.

LyondellBasell Industries Price Performance

Shares of LYB opened at $77.45 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $25.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.07 and a beta of 1.06. LyondellBasell Industries has a 1 year low of $72.21 and a 1 year high of $107.02. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $77.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $87.86. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 1st. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.98 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $10.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.60 billion. LyondellBasell Industries had a net margin of 5.29% and a return on equity of 17.05%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.46 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.48 earnings per share for the current year.

LyondellBasell Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.92%. LyondellBasell Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 81.58%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Robin W.T. Buchanan acquired 5,000 shares of LyondellBasell Industries stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 18,175 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,382,390.50. The trade was a 37.95 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of LyondellBasell Industries

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CVA Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 155.9% during the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 261 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Webster Bank N. A. boosted its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries by 70.4% in the 4th quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 346 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Matrix Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 268.2% during the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 405 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 295 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 71.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.