LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Stock Holdings Increased by Epoch Investment Partners Inc.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. grew its position in LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 940,688 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 38,278 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned approximately 0.29% of LyondellBasell Industries worth $69,865,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LYB. Forum Financial Management LP raised its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 64.9% during the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 5,183 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $385,000 after purchasing an additional 2,039 shares during the period. Arvest Bank Trust Division boosted its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 39.1% during the fourth quarter. Arvest Bank Trust Division now owns 27,511 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,043,000 after acquiring an additional 7,738 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries during the fourth quarter worth about $9,737,000. NFJ Investment Group LLC lifted its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 17.8% in the 4th quarter. NFJ Investment Group LLC now owns 29,879 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,219,000 after purchasing an additional 4,509 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 174.1% in the fourth quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 14,388 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,069,000 after purchasing an additional 9,139 shares during the period. 71.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on LYB shares. StockNews.com cut LyondellBasell Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $75.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 4th. Barclays decreased their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $80.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $60.00 target price (down from $80.00) on shares of LyondellBasell Industries in a report on Friday, April 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, LyondellBasell Industries currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $76.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at LyondellBasell Industries

In related news, Director Michael Sean Hanley purchased 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $72.05 per share, for a total transaction of $270,187.50. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 16,028 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,154,817.40. The trade was a 30.54 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

LyondellBasell Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LYB opened at $56.75 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $69.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.10. The company has a market cap of $18.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.89. LyondellBasell Industries has a 12-month low of $51.11 and a 12-month high of $107.02. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84.

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.28 by ($0.53). LyondellBasell Industries had a net margin of 3.39% and a return on equity of 15.97%. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.26 EPS. Equities analysts expect that LyondellBasell Industries will post 6.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LyondellBasell Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.44%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. LyondellBasell Industries’s payout ratio is presently 129.47%.

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.