LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.53 EPS

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) released its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by ($0.53), RTT News reports. LyondellBasell Industries had a return on equity of 17.05% and a net margin of 5.29%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.26 EPS.

LyondellBasell Industries Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LYB traded down $0.21 during trading on Friday, hitting $75.91. 1,923,692 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,589,271. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The company has a market cap of $24.65 billion, a PE ratio of 11.57, a P/E/G ratio of 5.26 and a beta of 1.06. LyondellBasell Industries has a 52-week low of $72.21 and a 52-week high of $107.02. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $76.63 and a 200 day moving average of $87.41.

LyondellBasell Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.06%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. LyondellBasell Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on LYB. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $104.00 to $92.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com lowered LyondellBasell Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Mizuho cut their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $97.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $96.00 to $86.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, LyondellBasell Industries has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $94.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Robin W.T. Buchanan bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $76.06 per share, with a total value 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 trade represents a 37.95 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.11% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.