LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Shares Acquired by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,894,956 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,689 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.89% of LyondellBasell Industries worth $215,008,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Webster Bank N. A. increased 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 during the period. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its stake in LyondellBasell Industries by 268.2% in the 4th 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 period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich purchased a new position in LyondellBasell Industries during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the 4th quarter worth $59,000. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the fourth quarter valued at about $85,000. 71.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $77.00 to $76.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $96.00 to $86.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com downgraded LyondellBasell Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $82.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, LyondellBasell Industries presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $87.58.

Insider Activity at LyondellBasell Industries

In other LyondellBasell Industries news, Director Michael Sean Hanley purchased 3,750 shares of LyondellBasell Industries stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $72.05 per share, with a total value of $270,187.50. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 16,028 shares in the company, valued at $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 at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

LyondellBasell Industries Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of LyondellBasell Industries stock opened at $70.03 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $75.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $80.78. The company has a market capitalization of $22.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.13. LyondellBasell Industries has a 1 year low of $69.12 and a 1 year high of $107.02.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 period in the previous year, the company earned $1.26 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LyondellBasell Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. LyondellBasell Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently 129.47%.

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.