LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (NYSE:LYB) Short Interest Down 26.2% in March

Key Points

• Short interest fell 26.2% in March to 13,041,765 shares (about 4.1% of float), leaving a short-interest ratio of roughly 1.5 days based on average daily volume.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed with a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $70.78, even as firms like Citigroup and BMO recently raised targets to $90 and $82 respectively.
• Major shareholder Ai Investments sold 384,548 shares (~$26.2M), reducing its stake by 6.8%; the company also reported a quarterly EPS of −$0.26 and paid a $0.69 quarterly dividend (annualized $2.76) with a payout ratio of −118.45%.

LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (NYSE:LYB - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 13,041,765 shares, a drop of 26.2% from the March 15th total of 17,662,343 shares. Currently, 4.1% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 8,823,378 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.5 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on LYB. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $68.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday. Fermium Researc upgraded shares of LyondellBasell Industries from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $76.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of LyondellBasell Industries in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wolfe Research lifted their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $38.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $70.78.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Ai Investments Holdings Llc sold 384,548 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.13, for a total value of $26,199,255.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 5,270,918 shares in the company, valued at $359,107,643.34. This trade represents a 6.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of LyondellBasell Industries

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Stance Capital LLC purchased a new stake in LyondellBasell Industries in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in LyondellBasell Industries in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. United Community Bank grew its stake in LyondellBasell Industries by 83.2% in the 3rd quarter. United Community Bank now owns 623 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 283 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 140.3% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 668 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 390 shares during the period. 71.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LyondellBasell Industries Price Performance

Shares of LyondellBasell Industries stock traded down $0.06 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $73.19. 5,405,842 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,169,592. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. LyondellBasell Industries has a fifty-two week low of $41.58 and a fifty-two week high of $83.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -31.41, a P/E/G ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 0.40. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $67.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $53.68.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, February 21st. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. LyondellBasell Industries had a positive return on equity of 4.93% and a negative net margin of 2.46%.The company had revenue of $7.09 billion for the quarter. On average, equities analysts expect that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LyondellBasell Industries Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were paid a $0.69 dividend. This represents a $2.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. LyondellBasell Industries's payout ratio is presently -118.45%.

About LyondellBasell Industries

LyondellBasell Industries N.V. NYSE: LYB is a global chemical company headquartered in Houston, Texas, that specializes in the production of polyolefins and advanced polymers. Through its extensive portfolio, the company supplies raw materials for a wide range of end markets, including packaging, automotive, construction, electronics and consumer goods. By combining proprietary process technologies with expertise in catalysts, LyondellBasell aims to deliver value-added solutions that enhance product performance and sustainability.

The company's integrated operations encompass the manufacture of olefins and polyolefins, advanced polymer products, chemical intermediates and refining activities.

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