South Dakota Investment Council Sells 4,300 Shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)

South Dakota Investment Council reduced its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 175,176 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 4,300 shares during the quarter. South Dakota Investment Council owned 0.05% of LyondellBasell Industries worth $16,656,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in LyondellBasell Industries during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in LyondellBasell Industries in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in LyondellBasell Industries during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries by 410.2% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 301 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the period. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 133.9% in the third quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 393 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.20% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at LyondellBasell Industries

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on LYB shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $96.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $98.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Wolfe Research began coverage on LyondellBasell Industries in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They issued an “underperform” rating for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered LyondellBasell Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $105.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, LyondellBasell Industries has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $103.82.

LyondellBasell Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LYB traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $100.55. 1,093,910 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,929,701. The company’s 50 day moving average is $100.61 and its 200 day moving average is $96.36. LyondellBasell Industries has a one year low of $84.80 and a one year high of $106.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.72 billion, a PE ratio of 15.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.19.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 2nd. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.33 by ($0.07). LyondellBasell Industries had a net margin of 5.16% and a return on equity of 21.89%. The business had revenue of $9.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.29 EPS. LyondellBasell Industries’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that LyondellBasell Industries will post 8.63 earnings per share for the current year.

LyondellBasell Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th were paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.97%. LyondellBasell Industries’s payout ratio is currently 77.28%.

LyondellBasell Industries 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.