Optimist Retirement Group LLC Reduces Holdings in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)

Optimist Retirement Group LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) by 50.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,723 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 10,886 shares during the quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC’s holdings in LyondellBasell Industries were worth $796,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 52,979 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $5,081,000 after purchasing an additional 3,960 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 56.3% in the third quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,320 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $510,000 after buying an additional 1,916 shares during the period. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC lifted its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 11.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC now owns 3,220 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $309,000 after buying an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC grew its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 44.1% during the 3rd quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC now owns 12,250 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,175,000 after acquiring an additional 3,750 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC raised its stake in LyondellBasell Industries by 14.0% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,360 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $802,000 after acquiring an additional 1,025 shares during the period. 71.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on LYB shares. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $97.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com downgraded LyondellBasell Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, 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 report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $89.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at LyondellBasell Industries

In other 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 shares were bought at an average cost of $76.06 per share, for a total transaction of $380,300.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 18,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,382,390.50. This trade represents a 37.95 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

LyondellBasell Industries Stock Down 1.6 %

NYSE LYB opened at $77.00 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $76.23 and a 200-day moving average price of $86.83. LyondellBasell Industries has a one year low of $72.21 and a one year 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. The company has a market capitalization of $25.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.60, a P/E/G ratio of 5.11 and a beta of 1.05.

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 net margin of 3.39% and a return on equity of 15.97%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.26 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that LyondellBasell Industries will post 7.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LyondellBasell Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.96%. LyondellBasell Industries’s payout ratio is currently 129.47%.

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.