LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Sets New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $72.21 and last traded at $72.82, with a volume of 186153 shares. The stock had previously closed at $73.90.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LYB has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and set a $95.00 price objective (down from $112.00) on shares of LyondellBasell Industries in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $104.00 to $92.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $99.00 to $95.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $94.73.

LyondellBasell Industries Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $23.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.06. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $78.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $89.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.25.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.98 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $10.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.60 billion. LyondellBasell Industries had a net margin of 5.29% and a return on equity of 17.05%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.46 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that LyondellBasell Industries will post 7.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LyondellBasell Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. LyondellBasell Industries’s dividend payout ratio is 81.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling at LyondellBasell Industries

In related news, Director Robin W.T. Buchanan acquired 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $76.06 per share, with a total value of $380,300.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 18,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,382,390.50. The trade was a 37.95 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CVA Family Office LLC grew its stake in LyondellBasell Industries by 155.9% during the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 261 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co bought a new position in LyondellBasell Industries in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in LyondellBasell Industries during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its stake in LyondellBasell Industries by 162.0% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 469 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 58.0% in the 3rd quarter. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC now owns 553 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.20% of the company’s stock.

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.