Michael Sean Hanley Buys 3,750 Shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Stock

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Director Michael Sean Hanley purchased 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $72.05 per share, for a total transaction of $270,187.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 16,028 shares in the company, valued at $1,154,817.40. This represents a 30.54 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

LyondellBasell Industries Stock Performance

NYSE:LYB opened at $74.24 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.01 billion, a PE ratio of 17.93, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.06. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $76.08 and its 200 day moving average is $82.97. LyondellBasell Industries has a fifty-two week low of $71.81 and a fifty-two week high of $107.02. 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 (NYSE:LYB) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.75 earnings per share 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 in the previous year, the company posted $1.26 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 earnings per share for the current year.

LyondellBasell Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. LyondellBasell Industries’s payout ratio is currently 129.47%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LYB. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries by 207.8% during the 4th quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 2,254,589 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $167,448,000 after acquiring an additional 1,522,043 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 48.6% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 3,858,033 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $283,452,000 after purchasing an additional 1,260,913 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries during the fourth quarter valued at $81,015,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the fourth quarter worth about $69,115,000. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its stake in LyondellBasell Industries by 211.9% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,283,163 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $123,055,000 after buying an additional 871,708 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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 report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com cut LyondellBasell Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group dropped their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $77.00 to $76.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has 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 MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.