LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Stock Position Decreased by Argent Trust Co

Argent Trust Co lowered its stake in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) by 6.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,118 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 1,504 shares during the quarter. Argent Trust Co’s holdings in LyondellBasell Industries were worth $1,568,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Webster Bank N. A. lifted 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 in the last quarter. Cairn Investment Group Inc. grew its holdings in 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 valued at $3,130,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT lifted its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 5.2% in 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 buying an additional 177 shares during the period. Y.D. More Investments Ltd raised its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 14.9% in the 4th quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 1,497 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $111,000 after buying an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caprock Group LLC lifted its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 4,008 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $298,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the period. 71.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on LYB shares. StockNews.com downgraded LyondellBasell Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $60.00 target price (down from $80.00) on shares of LyondellBasell Industries in a report on Friday, April 4th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $80.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $96.00 to $86.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $76.50.

Insider Activity at LyondellBasell Industries

In other news, Director Michael Sean Hanley purchased 3,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $72.05 per share, with a total value of $270,187.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 16,028 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,154,817.40. This trade represents a 30.54 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

LyondellBasell Industries Stock Performance

NYSE LYB opened at $54.27 on Friday. LyondellBasell Industries has a 12-month low of $51.11 and a 12-month high of $107.02. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $71.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $78.72. The company has a market capitalization of $17.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.89. 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 issued its earnings results 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 last year, the firm earned $1.26 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 earnings per share for the current year.

LyondellBasell Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.88%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. LyondellBasell Industries’s payout ratio is 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.