Five Stocks in Spotlight Amid Earnings, M&A News

LyondellBasell Industries Misses Q2 Estimates

Investors are watching LyondellBasell Industries NV (NYSE:LYB) after the company reported worse-than-expected second quarter revenue amid pressure on prices and increased maintenance costs. The chemical and polymer company reported adjusted earnings of $2.45 per share, lower than the expected $2.51. Revenue in the quarter came in at $7.33 billion, down from the analysts’ consensus estimate of $7.61 billion. Volume of ethylene production in the Americas plummeted by 21% during the quarter, as the price of the chemical fell by 11% as compared to the same period of 2015. At the end of the first quarter, 54 smart money investors from our database held stakes in LyondellBasell Industries NV (NYSE:LYB).

Suitors Line up to Acquire Assets of Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co (NYSE:HPE)’s stock is in the spotlight amid news that several private equity firms are interested in buying some software assets of the company, according to a Reuters report on Friday. The total value of these assets is about $6 billion to $8 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. Earlier on Friday, a report published by The Information suggested that private equity firms, including KKR & Co, Apollo Global Management and Carlyle Group were considering to acquire Hewlett Packard Enterprise. The source quoted a person who had talked about the matter with representatives the firms, and said that the potential deal could be worth more than $40 billion, but Reuters’ source said that buyers are more interested in certain assets. Our data show that 51 investors owned shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co (NYSE:HPE) heading into the second quarter of 2015.

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