LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Hits New 1-Year High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• LYB hit a new 52-week high, trading as high as $77.37, but the stock carries a MarketBeat consensus rating of "Hold" with an average price target of $65.61—below the current price.
• LyondellBasell missed EPS expectations (reported -$0.26 vs. $0.18 expected) despite a revenue beat of $7.09 billion, with revenue down 9.2% year‑over‑year and a negative net margin of 2.46%.
• The company paid a $0.69 quarterly dividend (3.6% yield) amid a negative dividend payout ratio (-118.45%), and a major shareholder sold 384,548 shares, trimming their stake by 6.8%.

LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (NYSE:LYB - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $77.37 and last traded at $77.23, with a volume of 4357763 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $76.01.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LYB has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America reduced their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $52.00 to $46.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of LyondellBasell Industries from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Citigroup raised shares of LyondellBasell Industries from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $49.00 to $76.00 in a report on Thursday, March 12th. KeyCorp upgraded shares of LyondellBasell Industries from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $73.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of LyondellBasell Industries from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $65.61.

LyondellBasell Industries Trading Up 1.6%

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $59.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $51.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.88 billion, a P/E ratio of -33.15, a PEG ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.64.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.18 by ($0.44). The firm had revenue of $7.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.82 billion. LyondellBasell Industries had a positive return on equity of 4.93% and a negative net margin of 2.46%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.75 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that LyondellBasell Industries N.V. will post 6.31 earnings per share for the current year.

LyondellBasell Industries Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.69 per share. This represents a $2.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. LyondellBasell Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -118.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling at LyondellBasell Industries

In related news, major shareholder Ai Investments Holdings Llc sold 384,548 shares of the company'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 sale, the insider owned 5,270,918 shares of the company's stock, valued at $359,107,643.34. The trade was a 6.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LyondellBasell Industries

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LYB. Capital A Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 6,314.3% in the 2nd quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC now owns 449 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 442 shares in the last quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in LyondellBasell Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 97.8% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 534 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares during the period. Stance Capital LLC acquired a new position in LyondellBasell Industries during the third quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries during the third quarter valued at $29,000. 71.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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