Michael Sean Hanley Buys 3,750 Shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Stock

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Director Michael Sean Hanley bought 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $72.05 per share, with a total value of $270,187.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 16,028 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,154,817.40. This trade represents a 30.54 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

LyondellBasell Industries Price Performance

Shares of LYB stock opened at $74.24 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.93, a PEG 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’s 50-day simple moving average is $76.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $82.97. LyondellBasell Industries has a fifty-two week low of $71.81 and a fifty-two week high of $107.02.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.75 earnings per share (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 quarter last year, the business posted $1.26 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LyondellBasell Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.22%. LyondellBasell Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently 129.47%.

Institutional Trading of LyondellBasell Industries

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 207.8% during the fourth quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 2,254,589 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $167,448,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522,043 shares during the period. Amundi raised its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 48.6% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 3,858,033 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $283,452,000 after buying an additional 1,260,913 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in LyondellBasell Industries during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $81,015,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the 4th quarter valued at $69,115,000. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased 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 acquiring an additional 871,708 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.20% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on LYB shares. UBS Group lowered their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Mizuho cut their price objective 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of LyondellBasell Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average 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.