Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. Sells 437 Shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)

Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. cut its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund 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 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Webster Bank N. A. grew its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 70.4% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 268.2% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich purchased a new position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. bought a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the 4th quarter worth about $59,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at about $60,000. 71.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Michael Sean Hanley bought 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $72.05 per share, for a total transaction of $270,187.50. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 16,028 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,154,817.40. This trade represents a 30.54 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

LyondellBasell Industries Trading Down 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE LYB opened at $69.92 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $75.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $81.60. LyondellBasell Industries has a 1-year low of $69.79 and a 1-year 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 stock has a market capitalization of $22.62 billion, a P/E 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 results on Friday, January 31st. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.75 earnings per share 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 in the prior year, the firm earned $1.26 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LyondellBasell Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders 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 was Monday, March 10th. LyondellBasell Industries’s payout ratio is presently 129.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $82.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com lowered shares of LyondellBasell Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $97.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. One equities research 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. According to MarketBeat, LyondellBasell Industries currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.