LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Given New $75.00 Price Target at Jefferies Financial Group

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group raised its price target for LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) to $75 from $70 and kept a "hold" rating, implying only about a 1.85% upside from the current share price.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: the consensus rating is Hold with a consensus price target of $71.06, compiled from 1 Strong Buy, 6 Buy, 12 Hold and 4 Sell recommendations.
• Major shareholder Ai Investments Holdings sold 384,548 shares at an average $68.13 for roughly $26.2M (a 6.8% reduction in its position), while LYB trades near $73.64 with a market cap of about $23.8 billion.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB - Get Free Report) had its target price boosted by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a "hold" rating on the specialty chemicals company's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's price objective indicates a potential upside of 1.85% from the company's current price.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on LYB. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $62.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Vertical Research raised shares of LyondellBasell Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 9th. KeyCorp upgraded shares of LyondellBasell Industries from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $73.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $70.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Alembic Global Advisors raised LyondellBasell Industries from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, LyondellBasell Industries currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $71.06.

LyondellBasell Industries Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of LYB opened at $73.64 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.77 billion, a P/E ratio of -31.64, a PEG ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.20. LyondellBasell Industries has a one year low of $41.58 and a one year high of $83.94. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $67.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $53.82.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at LyondellBasell Industries

In related news, major shareholder Ai Investments Holdings Llc sold 384,548 shares of LyondellBasell Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.13, for a total transaction of $26,199,255.24. Following the transaction, the insider owned 5,270,918 shares of the company's stock, valued at $359,107,643.34. This trade represents a 6.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LyondellBasell Industries

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LYB. EMC Capital Management grew its stake in LyondellBasell Industries by 46.7% in the fourth quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 2,200 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $95,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the period. Flax Pond Capital LLC acquired a new stake in LyondellBasell Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,494,000. SHP Wealth Management bought a new position in LyondellBasell Industries in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Virtu Financial LLC increased its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 212.7% during the fourth quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 93,876 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $4,065,000 after acquiring an additional 63,854 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries during the fourth quarter worth $52,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.20% of the company's stock.

LyondellBasell Industries Company Profile

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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