UBS Group Reiterates Sell Rating for LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)‘s stock had its “sell” rating restated by equities research analysts at UBS Group in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $51.00 price target on the specialty chemicals company’s stock, down from their prior price target of $76.00. UBS Group’s price target suggests a potential downside of 12.04% from the company’s current price.

LYB has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Mizuho reduced their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $97.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $82.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $96.00 to $86.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $75.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $80.25.

LyondellBasell Industries Trading Down 8.1 %

NYSE LYB opened at $57.98 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.00, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.89. 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 has a one year low of $55.45 and a one year high of $107.02. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $74.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $80.14.

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 quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.26 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at LyondellBasell Industries

In other LyondellBasell Industries news, Director Michael Sean Hanley bought 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $72.05 per share, for a total transaction of $270,187.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 16,028 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,154,817.40. This trade represents a 30.54 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.11% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LYB. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in LyondellBasell Industries by 127.9% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 866 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 486 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its stake in LyondellBasell Industries by 110.2% during the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,171 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 614 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 603.5% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 216,142 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $16,053,000 after buying an additional 185,418 shares during the period. Anchor Pointe Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the 4th quarter worth about $209,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $13,697,000. 71.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.