Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Lowers Holdings in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund decreased its stake in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) by 66.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 26,798 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 53,138 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in LyondellBasell Industries were worth $1,990,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Webster Bank N. A. boosted its stake 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 worth $26,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 268.2% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 405 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 295 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the third quarter worth about $60,000. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the fourth quarter worth about $59,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.20% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at LyondellBasell Industries

In related news, Director Robin W.T. Buchanan purchased 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $76.06 per share, with a total value of $380,300.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

LyondellBasell Industries Price Performance

Shares of LyondellBasell Industries stock opened at $76.77 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $75.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $84.53. LyondellBasell Industries has a 12 month low of $72.21 and a 12 month high of $107.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.54, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last announced 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 period last year, the firm posted $1.26 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on LYB. Mizuho lowered 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $96.00 to $86.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group lowered their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $77.00 to $76.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $100.00 to $94.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, LyondellBasell Industries presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $88.25.

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.