LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Hits New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)’s share price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $69.74 and last traded at $69.81, with a volume of 2585518 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $70.95.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on LYB shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $82.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $95.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $88.25.

LyondellBasell Industries Stock Down 1.6 %

The stock has a market cap of $22.58 billion, a PE ratio of 16.86, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.06. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $75.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $81.46. 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 released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 15.97% and a net margin of 3.39%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.26 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LyondellBasell Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.68%. LyondellBasell Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently 129.47%.

Insider Activity at LyondellBasell Industries

In other news, Director Michael Sean Hanley acquired 3,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $72.05 per share, for a total transaction of $270,187.50. Following the purchase, the director now owns 16,028 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,154,817.40. This represents a 30.54 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.11% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LyondellBasell Industries

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LYB. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 3.3% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 17,297 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,659,000 after purchasing an additional 559 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries by 12.2% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 31,802 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,050,000 after buying an additional 3,453 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the 3rd quarter worth $3,168,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries during the 3rd quarter worth $60,000. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 37.8% during the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 45,193 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $4,334,000 after acquiring an additional 12,408 shares during the last quarter. 71.20% of the stock is currently 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.