Barclays PLC Acquires 109,705 Shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)

Barclays PLC raised its stake in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB - Free Report) by 11.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,057,916 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after purchasing an additional 109,705 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned about 0.33% of LyondellBasell Industries worth $78,574,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of LYB. Amundi lifted its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries by 48.6% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 3,858,033 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $283,452,000 after buying an additional 1,260,913 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $81,015,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in LyondellBasell Industries during the 4th quarter worth $69,115,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 35.9% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,870,666 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $213,204,000 after acquiring an additional 757,612 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 13.5% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,826,318 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $432,721,000 after purchasing an additional 694,055 shares during the period. 71.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LyondellBasell Industries Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LYB traded up $0.91 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $57.21. 478,188 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,402,524. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.84, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.89. The company's 50-day moving average price is $69.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $76.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.13. LyondellBasell Industries has a 1-year low of $51.11 and a 1-year high of $107.02.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.28 by ($0.53). LyondellBasell Industries had a return on equity of 15.97% and a net margin of 3.39%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.26 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LyondellBasell Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.37%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. LyondellBasell Industries's payout ratio is presently 129.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LYB has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $80.00 to $72.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. UBS Group reiterated a "sell" rating and set a $51.00 price objective (down previously from $76.00) on shares of LyondellBasell Industries in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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 Friday, April 4th. StockNews.com lowered LyondellBasell Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $75.00 to $66.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $76.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Michael Sean Hanley acquired 3,750 shares of LyondellBasell Industries stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $72.05 per share, for a total transaction of $270,187.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 16,028 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,154,817.40. The trade was a 30.54 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.11% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.