LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) Posts Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.44 EPS

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB) announced its earnings results on Friday. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.18 by ($0.44), Briefing.com reports. LyondellBasell Industries had a positive return on equity of 7.50% and a negative net margin of 3.70%.The business had revenue of $7.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.75 earnings per share. LyondellBasell Industries’s quarterly revenue was down 9.2% on a year-over-year basis.

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

• Historic safety performance: 2025 was the safest year in company history with a record low total recordable incident rate, achieved despite extensive maintenance and turnaround activity.
• Strong cash execution and higher targets: LYB generated $2.3 billion of cash from operations with a 95% cash conversion, exceeded its Cash Improvement Plan to save $800 million, and is targeting an additional $500 million in 2026 plus $1.5 billion of recurring annual EBITDA from the Value Enhancement Program by 2028.
• Deep, prolonged industry downturn: Industry margins were ~45% below historical averages in 2025 with polyolefins at decade-low margins, pressured by weak durable-goods demand, global capacity additions, trade disruptions and high European energy costs.
• Portfolio and growth actions: Progressing the divestment of four European assets on track for completion in Q2 2026, advancing MoReTec?1 (on track for 2027 startup), and prioritizing low-/no-cost efficiency projects while realigning other growth timing.
• Conservative 2026 financial posture: 2026 CapEx is guided to ~$1.2 billion (?$800M sustaining / $400M growth), year-end liquidity was $3.4 billion cash and $8.1 billion available, and the company returned $2 billion to shareholders in 2025 while the board continues to review dividend policy.

LyondellBasell Industries Trading Down 1.9%

LYB opened at $49.00 on Friday. 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 one year low of $41.58 and a one year high of $79.10. The company has a market cap of $15.77 billion, a P/E ratio of -13.07 and a beta of 0.70. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $46.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.67.

LyondellBasell Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were issued 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 11.2%. LyondellBasell Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently -146.13%.

Insider Transactions at LyondellBasell Industries

In other LyondellBasell Industries news, EVP Kimberly A. Foley purchased 5,661 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $43.56 per share, with a total value of $246,593.16. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 67,688 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,948,489.28. This trade represents a 9.13% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. White Knight Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at about $285,000. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 135.2% in the second quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 8,264 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $478,000 after acquiring an additional 4,750 shares during the period. Financial Advisors Network Inc. grew its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 29.0% during the second quarter. Financial Advisors Network Inc. now owns 7,720 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $447,000 after acquiring an additional 1,737 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its holdings in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 35.4% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 6,866 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $483,000 after acquiring an additional 1,796 shares during the period. Finally, Centaurus Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at $172,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on LYB shares. Bank of America cut their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $52.00 to $46.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Fermium Researc cut LyondellBasell Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of LyondellBasell Industries in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $44.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on LyondellBasell Industries from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $52.63.

Key Stories Impacting LyondellBasell Industries

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management announced an aggressive cost/cash program aimed at improving free cash flow — a target of up to $1.3 billion in savings by end-2026, which could materially reduce cash burn if executed. LyondellBasell targets $1.3 billion in cost savings after surprise quarterly loss
• Positive Sentiment: Company has raised its cash-improvement cadence and is pursuing additional cost cuts and lower 2026 capex (management outlined further reductions and program targets) to bolster free cash flow. This reduces near-term liquidity risk if implemented. LYB Q4 Earnings Miss Estimates Amid Pricing, Volume Pressures
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue topped street estimates ($7.09B vs. ~$6.82B consensus) even as volumes and pricing pressured margins — a mixed operational result that limits the immediate severity of the print. MarketBeat: LYB Q4 results and materials
• Neutral Sentiment: The company filed its formal Q4/2025 press release and slide deck (useful for detail on segment performance, cash flow and assumptions). Investors will look to the deck for specifics on timing and achievability of savings. LyondellBasell press release / slide deck
• Negative Sentiment: Surprise Q4 net loss and EPS miss: reported ($0.26) vs. consensus ~$0.18 — a swing from $0.75 a year ago — raising near-term earnings visibility concerns. LYB Reports Q4 Loss, Tops Revenue Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Dividend sustainability flagged: the roughly 11% yield is not fully covered by current free cash flow; analysts and commenters warn of cut risk if market conditions deteriorate — a key downside catalyst. LyondellBasell: 11% Yield In Danger?
• Negative Sentiment: Broker sentiment is weak — the stock has an average “Reduce” rating from brokerages, which can pressure sentiment if downgrades continue. LYB Given Average Rating of “Reduce” by Brokerages

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.