Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Decreases Holdings in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd cut its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,303 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 283 shares during the period. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in LyondellBasell Industries were worth $1,507,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in LYB. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its stake in LyondellBasell Industries by 211.9% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,283,163 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $123,055,000 after buying an additional 871,708 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,023,982 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $769,500,000 after purchasing an additional 362,671 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,875,267 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $268,664,000 after purchasing an additional 293,622 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,605,151 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $638,964,000 after purchasing an additional 277,108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 40.0% in the 4th quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 947,614 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $70,379,000 after purchasing an additional 270,694 shares in the last quarter. 71.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LyondellBasell Industries Stock Up 1.0 %

LYB opened at $76.77 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $75.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $84.44. LyondellBasell Industries has a 52 week low of $72.21 and a 52 week high of $107.02. The company has a market capitalization of $24.93 billion, a PE ratio of 18.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.75 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 quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.26 EPS. Analysts forecast that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LyondellBasell Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. LyondellBasell Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 129.47%.

Insider Activity at LyondellBasell Industries

In other LyondellBasell Industries news, Director Robin W.T. Buchanan purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 acquisition, the director now owns 18,175 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,382,390.50. The trade was a 37.95 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.11% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LYB has been the subject of several analyst reports. Mizuho reduced 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. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $100.00 to $94.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on 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 issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, LyondellBasell Industries currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.