Ellsworth Advisors LLC Raises Stock Position in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)

Ellsworth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 47,023 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 1,166 shares during the period. LyondellBasell Industries makes up 1.4% of Ellsworth Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Ellsworth Advisors LLC’s holdings in LyondellBasell Industries were worth $4,471,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new stake in LyondellBasell Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Intrepid Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. 71.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on LYB shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $107.00 price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $102.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Vertical Research upgraded shares of LyondellBasell Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of LyondellBasell Industries in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They set an “underperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup lowered shares of LyondellBasell Industries from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $105.00 to $98.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $101.33.

LyondellBasell Industries Stock Performance

NYSE LYB traded down $0.67 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $102.28. 1,962,099 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,592,951. The business’s 50 day moving average is $97.66 and its 200-day moving average is $95.53. LyondellBasell Industries has a 1 year low of $84.80 and a 1 year high of $103.30. The company has a market capitalization of $33.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.84.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $9.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.85 billion. LyondellBasell Industries had a return on equity of 21.89% and a net margin of 5.16%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.29 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that LyondellBasell Industries will post 8.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LyondellBasell Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th were given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. LyondellBasell Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently 77.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other LyondellBasell Industries news, EVP Kenneth Todd Lane sold 29,229 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.19, for a total transaction of $2,899,224.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 91,758 shares in the company, valued at $9,101,476.02. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Robin W.T. Buchanan sold 18,111 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 12,276 shares in the company, valued at $1,233,246.96. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Kenneth Todd Lane sold 29,229 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.19, for a total transaction of $2,899,224.51. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 91,758 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,101,476.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 80,853 shares of company stock worth $8,077,267. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

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.