LyondellBasell Industries Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:LYB)

LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (NYSE:LYB) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 19,312 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 254% compared to the typical daily volume of 5,460 put options.

LyondellBasell Industries Price Performance

Shares of LyondellBasell Industries stock traded up $0.24 during trading on Thursday, hitting $42.89. 1,744,307 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,704,032. LyondellBasell Industries has a twelve month low of $41.58 and a twelve month high of $79.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The company has a market cap of $13.81 billion, a PE ratio of -11.44 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $44.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $52.08.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $7.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.41 billion. LyondellBasell Industries had a positive return on equity of 7.50% and a negative net margin of 3.70%.The company’s revenue was down 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.88 EPS. Analysts forecast that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 earnings per share for the current year.

LyondellBasell Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.8%. LyondellBasell Industries’s payout ratio is -146.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Kimberly A. Foley acquired 5,661 shares of LyondellBasell Industries stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $43.56 per share, for a total transaction of $246,593.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 67,688 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,948,489.28. The trade was a 9.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LyondellBasell Industries

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LYB. MTM Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 6,314.3% in 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. Stance Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Hilltop National Bank acquired a new stake in LyondellBasell Industries during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LYB has been the topic of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $36.00 target price (down from $48.00) on shares of LyondellBasell Industries in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $65.00 to $57.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of LyondellBasell Industries in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $59.00 to $51.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn dropped their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, LyondellBasell Industries has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $53.65.

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.