LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Stock Rating Lowered by Argus

Argus lowered shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB - Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Friday, Marketbeat reports.

LYB has been the subject of several other research reports. Fermium Researc upgraded shares of LyondellBasell Industries to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $60.00 target price (down from $80.00) on shares of LyondellBasell Industries in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $72.00 to $62.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $81.00 to $65.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Three 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. According to data from MarketBeat, LyondellBasell Industries has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $69.75.

LyondellBasell Industries Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of LyondellBasell Industries stock traded down $1.11 during trading on Friday, reaching $56.50. The company had a trading volume of 5,852,945 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,708,492. The company has a market cap of $18.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.87. The firm's fifty day moving average is $59.15 and its 200-day moving average is $70.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.83. LyondellBasell Industries has a fifty-two week low of $51.11 and a fifty-two week high of $100.46.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 business 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%. LyondellBasell Industries's revenue was down 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.53 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 EPS for the current year.

LyondellBasell Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This is a positive change from LyondellBasell Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.70%. LyondellBasell Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 169.14%.

Insider Activity at LyondellBasell Industries

In related news, Director Michael Sean Hanley purchased 3,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $72.05 per share, for a total transaction of $270,187.50. Following the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of LyondellBasell Industries

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Intrua Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 18.4% during the 1st quarter. Intrua Financial LLC now owns 5,939 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $418,000 after acquiring an additional 925 shares during the period. Jacobi Capital Management LLC increased its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 12.4% in the 1st quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 5,364 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $378,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. SWS Partners increased its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 9.8% in the 1st quarter. SWS Partners now owns 29,699 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,091,000 after acquiring an additional 2,650 shares in the last quarter. WBI Investments LLC grew its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. WBI Investments LLC now owns 36,992 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $2,604,000 after buying an additional 1,962 shares during the period. Finally, Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries during the 1st quarter worth approximately $363,000. 71.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.