Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Buys 354,280 Shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its position in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB - Free Report) by 27.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,637,443 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 354,280 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. owned 0.50% of LyondellBasell Industries worth $121,613,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Webster Bank N. A. boosted its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 70.4% in the fourth quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 346 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 268.2% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 405 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 295 shares in the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich acquired a new position in LyondellBasell Industries in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 107.6% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 548 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new position in LyondellBasell Industries in the fourth quarter valued at about $59,000. 71.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

LyondellBasell Industries Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of LYB traded down $1.09 on Wednesday, reaching $59.25. 3,985,656 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,589,684. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.87. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $62.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $72.96. LyondellBasell Industries has a 12 month low of $51.11 and a 12 month high of $101.94.

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

LyondellBasell Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. LyondellBasell Industries's payout ratio is presently 165.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at LyondellBasell Industries

In related news, Director Michael Sean Hanley acquired 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $72.05 per share, with a total value of $270,187.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 16,028 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,154,817.40. The trade was a 30.54% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on LYB shares. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $62.00 to $61.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $72.00 to $62.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $67.00 to $66.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $81.00 to $65.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, LyondellBasell Industries currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $69.75.

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.