LyondellBasell Industries N.V. · LYB · FY2026 Q1 · Calendar Q2 2026

LYB Q1 2026: EBITDA Up 50% as Middle East Conflict Reshapes Petrochemical Cost Curve

Q1 2026 was an inflection quarter for LyondellBasell. EBITDA rose roughly 50% to $615 million as the Middle East conflict steepened the global petrochemical cost curve, widening the advantage of LYB's low-cost U.S. ethane feedstock. The company closed its four-asset European divestiture and halved the quarterly dividend to fund balance-sheet repair and high-return growth projects like MoReTec-1. EPS of $0.49 beat consensus by about 75%, though revenue missed by roughly 4%. The stock was essentially flat on the print but has since drifted about 10% lower, reflecting investor tension between the dividend cut and the emerging margin recovery story.

Reported Before market openNYSEBasic Materials $19.53B market cap
100quality score

Earnings scorecard

Reported versus consensus
Reported EPS $0.49 Consensus $0.28
EPS surprise +74.6% Reported versus consensus
Reported revenue $7.20B Consensus $7.53B
Revenue surprise -4.4% Reported versus consensus

Market reaction

prior-close to event-session close
Stock move +0.5% Event window
SPY move +0.3% Same window
Abnormal move +0.2% Stock minus SPY
Volume 1.1× Versus trailing sessions
Subsequent drift -10.5% Up to 20 sessions
LYBSPY benchmark

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What changed

From Q4 2025 to Q1 2026: EBITDA improved meaningfully, driven by Middle East conflict tightening global petrochemical supply. The four European asset divestiture previously flagged for Q2 2026 completion was finalized. The board approved a 50% quarterly dividend reduction, a notable shift from the prior quarter's maintained payout. Cash conversion improved from 95% to over 100%. Capex outlook shifted from decreasing to stable, with Q1 spend of $269 million. Bullish score rose from 68 to 70.

Guidance delta

Guidance sentiment was maintained from Q4 2025 into Q1 2026. Management expects higher margins and utilization in Q2 across olefins, polyolefins, and intermediates, targeting 90-95% utilization. The $500 million incremental cash-flow target for the year remains in place. Capex outlook moved from decreasing to stable. The 50% dividend cut represents the most significant change in capital allocation posture.

Key takeaways

  • Middle East conflict steepened the global petrochemical cost curve, creating a supply gap that benefits LYB's low-cost U.S. ethane-based assets
  • Q1 EBITDA rose nearly 50% to $615 million with cash conversion exceeding 100%, supporting a $500 million incremental cash-flow target for the year
  • Sale of four European assets completed, sharpening capital allocation and expected to improve credit metrics while reducing fixed costs
  • Board approved a 50% reduction in the quarterly dividend to strengthen the balance sheet and redirect capital toward growth projects
  • Management expects higher Q2 margins and 90-95% utilization despite ongoing geopolitical and operational risks

Management priorities

  • Ramp up U.S. capacity to meet global supply gaps created by the Middle East conflict
  • Advance MoReTec-1 circular solutions project toward end-2027 ramp-up
  • Continue cash improvement plan and repay 2026 and 2027 debt maturities
  • Implement further price increases targeting 90-95% utilization in Q2
  • Advance APS segment transformation toward a customer-centric growth model

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Earnings History

Estimate Beat Miss Match
LYB REVENUE earnings history estimate and actual scatter chart 9 reported fiscal quarters and 3 future estimate-only quarters. Q4 '23 estimate $10B Q4 '23 actual $11B, beat Q1 '24 estimate $10B Q1 '24 actual $10B, beat Q2 '24 estimate $10B Q2 '24 actual $11B, beat Q3 '24 estimate $11B Q3 '24 actual $10B, miss Q2 '25 estimate $8B Q2 '25 actual $8B, beat Q3 '25 estimate $7B Q3 '25 actual $8B, beat Q4 '25 estimate $7B Q4 '25 actual $7B, beat Q1 '26 estimate $8B Q1 '26 actual $7B, miss Q2 '26 estimate $9B Q2 '26 actual $9B, miss Q3 '26 estimate $9B Q4 '26 estimate $8B Q1 '27 estimate $7B
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Analyst Consensus ?

ConsensusHold39 ratings
Bullish1846.1%
Neutral1743.6%
Bearish410.3%

Analyst 52W Price Targets

$65.37Current
$43Low
$86.27Average
$146High

Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted current price from FN2's market snapshot as of Oct 30, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.

Firm-level rating actions

FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.

FirmRatingPrior ratingActionDate
RBC Capital Outperform OutperformMaintainOct 13, 2026
Citigroup Neutral BuyDowngradeSep 30, 2026
UBS Neutral NeutralMaintainSep 25, 2026
Mizuho Neutral NeutralMaintainAug 3, 2026
JP Morgan Overweight NeutralUpgradeAug 3, 2026
Show 34 more rating actions

Named analyst price targets

Upside is calculated against the persisted current price $65.37. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.

FirmAnalyst52W targetPrice when postedUpsideDate
RBC CapitalArun Viswanathan$68$59.76 +4.0%Oct 13, 2026
BarclaysAleksey Yefremov$66$59.41 +1.0%Oct 12, 2026
UBSAnalyst unavailable$62$59.42 -5.2%Sep 25, 2026
RBC CapitalAnalyst unavailable$72$61.11 +10.1%Aug 5, 2026
UBSAnalyst unavailable$64$59.31 -2.1%Aug 4, 2026
See 91 more

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Company context

Snapshot as of publication

LyondellBasell Industries N.V., established in 2009 and based in Houston, Texas, operates as a prominent global chemical manufacturer with a significant international footprint, including the United States, Germany, Mexico, Italy, Poland, France, Japan, China, and the Netherlands. The company's diverse operations are organized into six distinct segments. Its core business involves the production and marketing of olefins and various polyolefins, such as high, low, and linear low-density polyethylene, along with polypropylene homopolymers and copolymers, for markets spanning the Americas…

Historical context

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Sources

  1. Earnings call transcript and parsed analysis · 2026-05-11T10:29:34.698584+00:00
  2. FN2 earnings calendar · 2026-07-26T00:37:12.209961+00:00
  3. Polygon adjusted daily market bars · 2026-07-31T04:13:38.034268+00:00
  4. Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-07-31T04:13:38.031366+00:00

Methodology

Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.

Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.

Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.

By FN2 Research · Updated · As of 2026-07-31. For educational purposes only; not investment advice.