Houston, Texas-based LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (LYB) is one of the leading plastics, chemical, and refining companies globally. Its products are used in electronics, automotive parts, packaging, construction materials, and biofuels. With a market cap of $14.5 billion, LyondellBasell’s operations span North America, Europe, Indo-Pacific, and internationally.
The chemicals industry giant is gearing up to announce its third-quarter results before the markets open on Friday, Oct. 31. Ahead of the event, analysts expect LYB to deliver a non-GAAP profit of $0.80 per share, down a staggering 57.5% from $1.88 per share reported in the year-ago quarter. While the company has met the Street’s bottom-line estimates once over the past four quarters, it has missed the projections on three other occasions.
For the full fiscal 2025, analysts project LyondellBasell to deliver a non-GAAP EPS of $2.34, down 63.4% from $6.40 in fiscal 2024. While in fiscal 2026, its earnings are expected to rebound 64.5% year-over-year to $3.85 per share.
LYB stock prices have tanked 47.3% over the past 52 weeks, notably underperforming the Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund’s (XLB) 6.6% decline and the S&P 500 Index’s ($SPX) 16.2% returns during the same time frame.
LyondellBasell Industries’ stock prices declined 7.8% in a single trading session following the release of its lackluster Q2 results on Aug. 1. The company’s topline for the quarter plummeted 11.8% year-over-year to $7.7 billion, but managed to beat the Street expectations by a notable margin. However, its margins observed an even worse contraction, leading to a 71.8% fall in adjusted EPS to $0.62, missing the consensus estimates by 28.7%.
Analysts remain cautious about the stock’s prospects. LyondellBasell has a consensus “Hold” rating overall. Of the 20 analysts covering the stock, opinions include three “Strong Buys,” one “Moderate Buy,” 13 “Holds,” and three “Strong Sells.” Its mean price target of $57.53 suggests a 22.9% upside potential from current price levels.
On the date of publication, Aditya Sarawgi did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com
