LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Sets New 1-Year Low – What’s Next?

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)’s share price hit a new 52-week low on Friday . The company traded as low as $71.04 and last traded at $71.44, with a volume of 919143 shares. The stock had previously closed at $72.69.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $82.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price 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 target price 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, Barclays lowered their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $88.25.

LyondellBasell Industries Stock Down 1.5 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.29, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.06. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $76.12 and a 200-day moving average of $82.02.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 last year, the firm earned $1.26 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 EPS for the current year.

LyondellBasell Industries Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other LyondellBasell Industries news, Director Michael Sean Hanley bought 3,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $72.05 per share, with a total value 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 represents a 30.54 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of LyondellBasell Industries

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LYB. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 207.8% in the fourth quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 2,254,589 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $167,448,000 after buying an additional 1,522,043 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 48.6% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 3,858,033 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $283,452,000 after purchasing an additional 1,260,913 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in LyondellBasell Industries during the fourth quarter valued at $81,015,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in LyondellBasell Industries during the fourth quarter valued at $69,115,000. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 211.9% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,283,163 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $123,055,000 after purchasing an additional 871,708 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.20% of the company’s stock.

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.