LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (NYSE:LYB)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $80.26, but opened at $72.64. LyondellBasell Industries shares last traded at $69.2730, with a volume of 4,120,954 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LYB shares. Vertical Research upgraded shares of LyondellBasell Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries in a research report on Monday. Wolfe Research lowered their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $39.00 to $38.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. UBS Group lifted their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $76.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $68.67.

LyondellBasell Industries Stock Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $65.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $53.14. The company has a market cap of $23.59 billion, a P/E ratio of -31.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, February 21st. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $7.09 billion during the quarter. LyondellBasell Industries had a negative net margin of 2.46% and a positive return on equity of 4.93%. On average, equities analysts expect that LyondellBasell Industries N.V. will post 6.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LyondellBasell Industries Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were paid a $0.69 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $2.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. LyondellBasell Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -118.45%.

Insider Activity at LyondellBasell Industries

In related news, major shareholder Ai Investments Holdings Llc sold 384,548 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.13, for a total transaction of $26,199,255.24. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 5,270,918 shares in the company, valued at approximately $359,107,643.34. The trade was a 6.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Capital A Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 6,314.3% during the second quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC now owns 449 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares during the last quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in LyondellBasell Industries in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Stance Capital LLC purchased a new position in LyondellBasell Industries during the third quarter valued at $27,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in LyondellBasell Industries during the third quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 140.3% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 668 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. 71.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About LyondellBasell Industries

LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (NYSE: LYB) is a global chemical company headquartered in Houston, Texas, that specializes in the production of polyolefins and advanced polymers. Through its extensive portfolio, the company supplies raw materials for a wide range of end markets, including packaging, automotive, construction, electronics and consumer goods. By combining proprietary process technologies with expertise in catalysts, LyondellBasell aims to deliver value-added solutions that enhance product performance and sustainability.

The company’s integrated operations encompass the manufacture of olefins and polyolefins, advanced polymer products, chemical intermediates and refining activities.