LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Shares Sold by Teacher Retirement System of Texas

Teacher Retirement System of Texas reduced its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) by 21.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 72,912 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 19,659 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in LyondellBasell Industries were worth $5,415,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LYB. Webster Bank N. A. grew its holdings in 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 lifted its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 268.2% in the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 405 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 295 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich purchased a new stake in LyondellBasell Industries during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new stake in LyondellBasell Industries during 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.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Michael Sean Hanley bought 3,750 shares of LyondellBasell Industries stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $72.05 per share, with a total value of $270,187.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 16,028 shares of the company’s stock, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

LyondellBasell Industries Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE LYB opened at $71.57 on Monday. 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 company has a 50-day moving average of $76.12 and a 200 day moving average of $81.93. LyondellBasell Industries has a 12-month low of $70.75 and a 12-month high of $107.02. The stock has a market cap of $23.15 billion, a PE ratio of 17.29, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.06.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 period last year, the firm posted $1.26 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LyondellBasell Industries Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on LYB. Mizuho dropped their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $97.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $96.00 to $86.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $82.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $88.25.

About LyondellBasell Industries

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.