LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Shares Sold by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems trimmed its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,872 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 246 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in LyondellBasell Industries were worth $1,327,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Webster Bank N. A. raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries by 268.2% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 405 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 295 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries by 162.0% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 469 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in LyondellBasell Industries in the third quarter valued at $60,000. 71.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays cut 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. StockNews.com cut LyondellBasell Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $82.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $88.25.

Insider Activity

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

LyondellBasell Industries Trading Down 0.7 %

LyondellBasell Industries stock opened at $77.05 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $75.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $85.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.61, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.05. LyondellBasell Industries has a 52 week low of $72.21 and a 52 week high of $107.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.83.

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 company posted $1.26 EPS. Research analysts forecast that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 EPS for the current year.

LyondellBasell Industries 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.