Auxier Asset Management Sells 728 Shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)

Auxier Asset Management decreased its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 66,666 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 728 shares during the period. Auxier Asset Management’s holdings in LyondellBasell Industries were worth $6,339,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the 4th quarter valued at about $197,305,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 35.5% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,571,985 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $339,624,000 after buying an additional 935,430 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in LyondellBasell Industries in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $82,854,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 24.9% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,085,474 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $386,894,000 after acquiring an additional 815,083 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 10.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,408,551 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $796,290,000 after purchasing an additional 787,221 shares during the last quarter. 71.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

LyondellBasell Industries Price Performance

Shares of LYB opened at $93.54 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $99.36 and its 200-day moving average is $97.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 2.12 and a quick ratio of 1.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.46 billion, a PE ratio of 14.46, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.13. LyondellBasell Industries has a fifty-two week low of $86.64 and a fifty-two week high of $107.02.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.36 by $0.17. LyondellBasell Industries had a net margin of 5.20% and a return on equity of 19.31%. The firm had revenue of $9.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.50 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that LyondellBasell Industries will post 8.5 EPS for the current year.

LyondellBasell Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This is a boost from LyondellBasell Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.73%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 3rd. LyondellBasell Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on LYB shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Barclays raised their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Mizuho upped their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $98.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $105.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $99.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $105.08.

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.