Opinicus Capital Inc. Makes New Investment in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)

Opinicus Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 4,650 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $327,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc increased its holdings 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 valued at $167,448,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522,043 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 48.6% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 3,858,033 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $283,452,000 after buying an additional 1,260,913 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in LyondellBasell Industries during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $81,015,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $69,115,000. Finally, Dodge & Cox boosted its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 16,965,832 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $1,260,052,000 after buying an additional 851,365 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on LYB shares. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $66.00 to $58.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Barclays reduced their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $72.00 to $62.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $60.00 target price (down previously from $80.00) on shares of LyondellBasell Industries in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of LyondellBasell Industries from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, LyondellBasell Industries currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $69.75.

LyondellBasell Industries Price Performance

LYB traded down $0.07 on Friday, reaching $60.06. 5,098,356 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,828,426. LyondellBasell Industries has a twelve month low of $51.11 and a twelve month high of $100.46. The stock has a market cap of $19.30 billion, a PE ratio of 14.51, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $57.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.87.

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

LyondellBasell Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were issued a $1.37 dividend. This is a boost from LyondellBasell Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.12%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 2nd. LyondellBasell Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 169.14%.

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.