LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB - Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.36 by $0.17, RTT News reports. LyondellBasell Industries had a return on equity of 21.89% and a net margin of 5.16%. The business had revenue of $9.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.50 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis.

LyondellBasell Industries Trading Up 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE LYB traded up $2.49 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $102.17. 2,651,714 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,926,224. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.79, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.19. LyondellBasell Industries has a 1 year low of $84.80 and a 1 year high of $106.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The business has a 50 day moving average of $100.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $96.48.

LyondellBasell Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.89%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. LyondellBasell Industries's dividend payout ratio is 77.28%.

Insider Activity at LyondellBasell Industries

In related news, Director Robin W.T. Buchanan sold 18,111 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.46, for a total transaction of $1,819,431.06. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,276 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,233,246.96. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Robin W.T. Buchanan sold 18,111 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.46, for a total transaction of $1,819,431.06. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,276 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,233,246.96. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Chukwuemeka A. Oyolu sold 7,084 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.47, for a total value of $711,729.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 27,575 shares in the company, valued at $2,770,460.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 80,853 shares of company stock valued at $8,077,267. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on LYB. Vertical Research upgraded LyondellBasell Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Wolfe Research started coverage on LyondellBasell Industries in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They set an "underperform" rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut LyondellBasell Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $105.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $98.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $103.82.

About LyondellBasell Industries

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.