Everence Capital Management Inc. Lowers Stake in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)

Everence Capital Management Inc. lessened its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) by 58.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 30,780 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 43,740 shares during the quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in LyondellBasell Industries were worth $2,286,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LYB. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 103,452 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $9,896,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new position in LyondellBasell Industries in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $244,000. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in LyondellBasell Industries by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 99,678 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $9,535,000 after purchasing an additional 2,078 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 0.8% in the second quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 22,054 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,110,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stablepoint Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 1.6% during the second quarter. Stablepoint Partners LLC now owns 50,733 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $4,941,000 after buying an additional 810 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.20% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other LyondellBasell Industries news, Director Robin W.T. Buchanan purchased 5,000 shares of LyondellBasell Industries stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $76.06 per share, for a total transaction of $380,300.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 18,175 shares in the company, valued at $1,382,390.50. This trade represents a 37.95 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.11% of the stock is owned by insiders.

LyondellBasell Industries Price Performance

Shares of LYB traded down $0.14 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $72.64. 841,474 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,790,361. The stock has a market cap of $23.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.06, a PEG ratio of 2.13 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $80.27 and a 200-day moving average of $90.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 2.13.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 1st. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.98 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $10.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.60 billion. LyondellBasell Industries had a return on equity of 17.05% and a net margin of 5.29%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.46 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that LyondellBasell Industries will post 7.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LyondellBasell Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.38%. LyondellBasell Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently 81.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LYB has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 6th. StockNews.com upgraded LyondellBasell Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Mizuho lowered their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $97.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $96.00 to $86.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $96.27.

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.