Short Interest in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Grows By 23.4%

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,690,000 shares, a growth of 23.4% from the October 15th total of 3,800,000 shares. Currently, 1.8% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,060,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.3 days.

LyondellBasell Industries Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of LyondellBasell Industries stock traded up $0.09 during trading on Friday, reaching $82.65. 2,236,451 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,870,532. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $91.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $94.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. LyondellBasell Industries has a twelve month low of $82.20 and a twelve month high of $107.02.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 company had revenue of $10.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.60 billion. LyondellBasell Industries had a return on equity of 17.05% and a net margin of 5.29%. LyondellBasell Industries's quarterly revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.46 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that LyondellBasell Industries will post 7.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LyondellBasell Industries

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 4.4% in the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 17,688 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,809,000 after buying an additional 745 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. boosted its stake in LyondellBasell Industries by 237.5% in the 1st quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 81,068 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $8,292,000 after purchasing an additional 57,048 shares during the period. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System increased its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries by 8.4% during the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 282,374 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $26,512,000 after purchasing an additional 21,809 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 15.7% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 312,648 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $31,978,000 after purchasing an additional 42,474 shares during the period. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 32.0% in the first quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 4,340 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $444,000 after purchasing an additional 1,052 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $110.00 to $105.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Mizuho cut their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $101.00 to $97.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Evercore ISI raised shares of LyondellBasell Industries to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $110.00 to $104.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $101.70.

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.