Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)

Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC lifted its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) by 31.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 88,253 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 20,886 shares during the quarter. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in LyondellBasell Industries were worth $6,555,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Webster Bank N. A. increased its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 70.4% during the fourth quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 346 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the period. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries by 268.2% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 405 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 295 shares during the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich purchased a new position in LyondellBasell Industries in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new position in LyondellBasell Industries in the fourth quarter valued at $59,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in LyondellBasell Industries in the third quarter valued at $60,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.20% of the company’s stock.

LyondellBasell Industries Price Performance

Shares of LYB opened at $71.57 on Monday. LyondellBasell Industries has a fifty-two week low of $70.75 and a fifty-two week high of $107.02. The company has a market capitalization of $23.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.06. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $76.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $81.93. 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 return on equity of 15.97% and a net margin of 3.39%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.26 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 earnings per share for the current year.

LyondellBasell Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.49%. LyondellBasell Industries’s payout ratio is currently 129.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LYB has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $82.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho dropped their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $97.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $77.00 to $76.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, LyondellBasell Industries has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $88.25.

Insider Activity at LyondellBasell Industries

In other news, Director Michael Sean Hanley acquired 3,750 shares of LyondellBasell Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $72.05 per share, for a total transaction of $270,187.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 16,028 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,154,817.40. This trade represents a 30.54 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.11% of the stock is owned by 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.