Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC Sells 500 Shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)

Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC cut its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) by 15.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,746 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 500 shares during the quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC’s holdings in LyondellBasell Industries were worth $262,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in LyondellBasell Industries in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in LyondellBasell Industries in the third quarter worth $26,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in LyondellBasell Industries in the third quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries by 410.2% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 301 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. 71.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

LyondellBasell Industries Price Performance

NYSE LYB traded up $1.34 during trading on Friday, hitting $100.74. 2,027,307 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,533,755. The company has a market capitalization of $32.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.19. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $100.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $96.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. LyondellBasell Industries has a 12-month low of $84.80 and a 12-month high of $106.69.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $9.93 billion during 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%. LyondellBasell Industries’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.29 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that LyondellBasell Industries will post 8.63 EPS for the current year.

LyondellBasell Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. LyondellBasell Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays boosted their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $98.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $105.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Vertical Research raised LyondellBasell Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded LyondellBasell Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $105.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $96.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, LyondellBasell Industries presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $103.82.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Chukwuemeka A. Oyolu sold 7,084 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.47, for a total transaction of $711,729.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 27,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,770,460.25. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other LyondellBasell Industries news, Director Robin W.T. Buchanan sold 18,111 shares of LyondellBasell Industries stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.46, for a total transaction of $1,819,431.06. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 12,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,233,246.96. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Chukwuemeka A. Oyolu sold 7,084 shares of LyondellBasell Industries stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.47, for a total value of $711,729.48. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 27,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,770,460.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 80,853 shares of company stock valued at $8,077,267. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

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.