NBC Securities Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)

NBC Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB - Free Report) by 117,766.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,680 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 17,665 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc.'s holdings in LyondellBasell Industries were worth $1,244,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of LYB. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 207.8% during the 4th quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 2,254,589 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $167,448,000 after buying an additional 1,522,043 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its stake in LyondellBasell Industries by 48.6% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 3,858,033 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $283,452,000 after purchasing an additional 1,260,913 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in LyondellBasell Industries in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $81,015,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $69,115,000. Finally, Dodge & Cox boosted its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 16,965,832 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,260,052,000 after purchasing an additional 851,365 shares during the period. 71.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at LyondellBasell Industries

In related news, Director Michael Sean Hanley bought 3,750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $72.05 per share, with a total value of $270,187.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 16,028 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,154,817.40. The trade was a 30.54% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

LyondellBasell Industries Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of LYB stock traded up $0.35 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $56.05. 3,302,949 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,725,216. The company's 50-day moving average price is $58.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $70.13. The company has a market cap of $18.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. LyondellBasell Industries has a 12 month low of $51.11 and a 12 month high of $100.46.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.03). LyondellBasell Industries had a return on equity of 15.97% and a net margin of 3.39%. The business had revenue of $7.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.53 EPS. The company's revenue was down 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LyondellBasell Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.78%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This is a positive change from LyondellBasell Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. LyondellBasell Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 169.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on LYB. UBS Group reaffirmed a "sell" rating and issued a $51.00 target price (down from $76.00) on shares of LyondellBasell Industries in a research note on Monday, April 7th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $71.00 to $65.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Fermium Researc upgraded LyondellBasell Industries to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $69.75.

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.