Welch & Forbes LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)

Welch & Forbes LLC lessened its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) by 7.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,800 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 225 shares during the period. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in LyondellBasell Industries were worth $208,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Webster Bank N. A. lifted its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries by 70.4% during the fourth quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 346 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the period. Cairn Investment Group Inc. raised its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Cairn Investment Group Inc. now owns 42,147 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $3,130,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 17,483 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,677,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT boosted its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT now owns 3,608 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $268,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its stake in LyondellBasell Industries by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 1,497 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $111,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. 71.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

LyondellBasell Industries Stock Up 2.1 %

LyondellBasell Industries stock opened at $77.53 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $76.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $83.69. 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 company has a market cap of $25.08 billion, a PE ratio of 18.73, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.06. LyondellBasell Industries has a fifty-two week low of $72.21 and a fifty-two week high of $107.02.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.75 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 period in the previous year, the business posted $1.26 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 EPS for the current year.

LyondellBasell Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.91%. LyondellBasell Industries’s payout ratio is currently 129.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robin W.T. Buchanan bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $76.06 per share, for a total transaction of $380,300.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 18,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,382,390.50. This represents a 37.95 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $97.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $96.00 to $86.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. One equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, LyondellBasell Industries currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $88.25.

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.