Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Lowers Position in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. trimmed its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 102,202 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 1,637 shares during the quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in LyondellBasell Industries were worth $9,717,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LYB. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries during the third quarter worth about $25,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its stake in LyondellBasell Industries by 100.7% in the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 281 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Heritage Wealth Advisors bought a new position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Gold Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 410.2% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 301 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. 71.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

LyondellBasell Industries Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of LyondellBasell Industries stock traded down $2.02 during trading on Friday, reaching $93.54. 1,395,282 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,486,491. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 2.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market cap of $30.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.13. LyondellBasell Industries has a 1 year low of $86.64 and a 1 year high of $107.02. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $99.36 and its 200 day moving average is $97.84.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.36 by $0.17. LyondellBasell Industries had a return on equity of 19.31% and a net margin of 5.20%. The business had revenue of $9.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.50 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that LyondellBasell Industries will post 8.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LyondellBasell Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 3rd were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This is an increase from LyondellBasell Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 3rd. LyondellBasell Industries’s payout ratio is presently 82.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on LYB shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $99.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $105.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $96.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of LyondellBasell Industries in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They issued an “underperform” rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, LyondellBasell Industries currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $105.08.

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.