LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Issues Earnings Results

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.18, Briefing.com reports. LyondellBasell Industries had a negative net margin of 2.46% and a positive return on equity of 4.93%. The business had revenue of $7.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.53 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.33 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 6.3% on a year-over-year basis.

Here are the key takeaways from LyondellBasell Industries’ conference call:

• LyondellBasell says the Middle East conflict has created durable global supply tightness and a geopolitical risk premium, and its low‑cost U.S. Gulf Coast and European capacity position the company to capture higher export volumes and margins.
• First‑quarter results improved meaningfully with EBITDA of $615 million, EPS of $0.49, $2.6 billion cash and $7.3 billion liquidity, and a 12‑month EBITDA‑to‑cash conversion of 111%, highlighting strong cash generation and financial flexibility.
• To bolster the balance sheet the board approved a 50% cut to the quarterly dividend, and the company consumed $269 million of operating cash in Q1 while planning an intentional working‑capital build in Q2, signaling near‑term cautiousness despite improving markets.
• Strategic portfolio and cost actions — completion of the sale of four European assets, ~3,000 headcount reductions (~15%), and the Value Enhancement/Cash Improvement programs targeting $500 million incremental cash this year — are expected to lower fixed costs and improve mid‑cycle returns.
• Near‑term operations were hurt by unplanned outages (notably Bayport PO/TBA and LaPorte acetyls) and weather impacts that reduced first‑quarter EBITDA (Bayport ~ $40M), though management expects restarts and higher utilization in coming quarters.

LyondellBasell Industries Trading Up 0.5%

LYB traded up $0.36 during trading on Friday, reaching $74.96. The company had a trading volume of 7,589,201 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,798,004. The stock has a market cap of $24.19 billion, a P/E ratio of -32.17, a PEG ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 0.40. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $70.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $55.53. LyondellBasell Industries has a 52 week low of $41.58 and a 52 week high of $83.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

LyondellBasell Industries Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd were given a $0.69 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $2.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. LyondellBasell Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -118.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on LYB shares. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Wolfe Research increased their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $38.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of LyondellBasell Industries in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $70.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Alembic Global Advisors upgraded LyondellBasell Industries from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, LyondellBasell Industries presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $73.00.

Key Stories Impacting LyondellBasell Industries

Here are the key news stories impacting LyondellBasell Industries this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS topped expectations — LYB reported $0.49 EPS vs. the $0.31 consensus, driven by pricing gains and cost management; the beat is the primary catalyst for the stock lift. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Supply disruptions in the Middle East tightened markets and supported pricing for polymers, helping margins and offsetting weaker volumes. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Completed sale of select European olefins and polyolefins assets to AEQUITA — a strategic step that can simplify operations and potentially free cash/redirect capital. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue missed estimates — Q1 revenue was $7.20B vs. the $7.53B consensus and was down ~6.3% year‑over‑year, reflecting volume pressures even as pricing improved. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary is mixed — positive EPS surprise and pricing offset by higher feedstock costs and uneven segment performance, so near-term outlook depends on feedstock/volume trends. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability metrics remain mixed — the company reported a negative net margin (-2.46%) despite the EPS beat, suggesting non-operating items, inventory effects or restructuring costs are weighing on reported margins. Article Title

Insider Transactions at LyondellBasell Industries

In related news, major shareholder Ai Investments Holdings Llc sold 384,548 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.13, for a total value of $26,199,255.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 5,270,918 shares in the company, valued at $359,107,643.34. This trade represents a 6.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of LyondellBasell Industries

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LYB. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 512.9% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,093,318 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $133,941,000 after purchasing an additional 2,588,636 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 5,451.2% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,457,591 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $63,114,000 after purchasing an additional 1,431,334 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,971,741 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $388,476,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300,271 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 23.7% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,117,313 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $264,880,000 after purchasing an additional 1,173,869 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 738.7% during the fourth quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,229,686 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $53,245,000 after purchasing an additional 1,083,066 shares during the last quarter. 71.20% of the stock is currently owned by 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.