LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,080,000 shares, a growth of 18.4% from the November 30th total of 4,290,000 shares. Currently, 2.0% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,580,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.0 days.

Insider Transactions at LyondellBasell Industries

In other news, Director Robin W.T. Buchanan purchased 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $76.06 per share, for a total transaction of $380,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 18,175 shares in the company, valued at $1,382,390.50. This trade represents a 37.95 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LyondellBasell Industries

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CVA Family Office LLC raised its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries by 155.9% during the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 261 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the period. Matrix Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 162.0% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 469 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 58.0% during the 3rd quarter. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC now owns 553 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the period. 71.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 6th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $97.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com raised LyondellBasell Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $99.00 to $95.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $96.27.

LyondellBasell Industries Price Performance

Shares of LYB stock traded up $1.09 on Tuesday, reaching $74.27. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,268,581 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,019,632. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $80.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $90.29. LyondellBasell Industries has a 1 year low of $72.93 and a 1 year high of $107.02. The company has a market capitalization of $24.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.05. 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 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.98 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $10.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.60 billion. LyondellBasell Industries had a return on equity of 17.05% and a net margin of 5.29%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.46 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that LyondellBasell Industries will post 7.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LyondellBasell Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.22%. LyondellBasell Industries’s payout ratio is currently 81.58%.

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.