Stock Traders Buy High Volume of LyondellBasell Industries Call Options (NYSE:LYB)

LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (NYSE:LYB) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Stock traders purchased 8,325 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 48% compared to the average volume of 5,611 call options.

LyondellBasell Industries Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE:LYB opened at $46.20 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $14.87 billion, a P/E ratio of -12.32 and a beta of 0.70. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $44.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $51.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.57. LyondellBasell Industries has a 52 week low of $41.58 and a 52 week high of $79.39.

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

LyondellBasell Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. LyondellBasell Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently -146.13%.

Insider Activity at LyondellBasell Industries

In other news, EVP Kimberly A. Foley purchased 5,661 shares of LyondellBasell Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $43.56 per share, for a total transaction of $246,593.16. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 67,688 shares in the company, valued at $2,948,489.28. The trade was a 9.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of LyondellBasell Industries

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in LyondellBasell Industries by 2.4% in the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 651,236 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $37,681,000 after acquiring an additional 15,264 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its position in LyondellBasell Industries by 62.2% during the 2nd quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 42,321 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,583,000 after purchasing an additional 16,234 shares during the period. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 375.1% in the 2nd quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 18,007 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,042,000 after purchasing an additional 14,217 shares during the last quarter. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 69.1% during the 2nd quarter. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC now owns 249,852 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $14,456,000 after buying an additional 102,140 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $280,000,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on LYB shares. Bank of America lowered their price target on LyondellBasell Industries from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $43.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Fermium Researc lowered shares of LyondellBasell Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $52.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $50.00 to $46.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $53.65.

LyondellBasell Industries Company Profile

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.