Van ECK Associates Corp Reduces Stock Position in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)

Van ECK Associates Corp decreased its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB - Free Report) by 27.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,115 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 14,073 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp's holdings in LyondellBasell Industries were worth $2,757,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LYB. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 211.9% in the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,283,163 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $123,055,000 after buying an additional 871,708 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 4.7% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,023,982 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $769,500,000 after buying an additional 362,671 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 11.4% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,875,267 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $268,664,000 after buying an additional 293,622 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 4.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,605,151 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $638,964,000 after buying an additional 277,108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 1.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,202,118 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $1,170,183,000 after buying an additional 230,327 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.20% of the company's stock.

LyondellBasell Industries Trading Down 0.7 %

LYB stock traded down $0.57 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $77.05. 2,443,723 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,664,283. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.83. LyondellBasell Industries has a one year low of $72.21 and a one year high of $107.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.02 billion, a PE ratio of 18.61, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.05. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $75.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $85.29.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 in the previous year, the business earned $1.26 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on LYB. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $82.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $97.00 to $85.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, LyondellBasell Industries has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $88.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other LyondellBasell Industries news, Director Robin W.T. Buchanan bought 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $76.06 per share, for a total transaction of $380,300.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 18,175 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,382,390.50. This represents a 37.95 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.11% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.