LYB reported Q3 2025 earnings that met its own expectations, with a strong focus on cash generation (135% conversion) and cost discipline. Management maintained a cautious tone regarding Q4, highlighting seasonal slowdowns and deliberate run-rate cuts across segments. However, the call revealed positive longer-term demand trends and accelerating global capacity rationalization, which they believe will eventually lead to a market recovery. Guidance remains focused on cost and capex reduction. Q3 EPS of $1.01, EBITDA of $835M, and cash from ops of $983M, with 135% cash conversion.
LYB reported Q3 2025 earnings that met its own expectations, with a strong focus on cash generation (135% conversion) and cost discipline. Management maintained a cautious tone regarding Q4, highlighting seasonal slowdowns and deliberate run-rate cuts across segments. However, the call revealed positive longer-term demand trends and accelerating global capacity rationalization, which they believe will eventually lead to a market recovery. Guidance remains focused on cost and capex reduction. Q3 EPS of $1.01, EBITDA of $835M, and cash from ops of $983M, with 135% cash conversion.
Management acknowledges ongoing market headwinds and proactive cost actions, but highlights encouraging demand trends, capacity rationalization, and a strong cash position, suggesting confidence in a potential recovery.
Q3 EPS of $1.01, EBITDA of $835M, and cash from ops of $983M, with 135% cash conversion.
On track to deliver $600M cash improvement in 2025 and $1.1B by end of 2026, with 2026 capex reduced to $1.2B.
PE demand shows encouraging improvement in both North America (+2.5% YTD) and Europe (+3% YTD) in 2025.
PE demand improving in North America and Europe. Management acknowledges ongoing market headwinds and proactive cost actions, but highlights encouraging demand trends, capacity rationalization, and a strong cash position, suggesting confidence in a potential recovery.
Management is reducing 2026 capex to $1.2 billion, citing a focus on cash preservation and prioritizing safe, reliable operations. They are delaying construction of Flex 2 and MoReTec 2 until market conditions improve, while continuing investment in MoReTec 1 and an acetyls catalyst conversion initiative to improve margins.
Management acknowledges ongoing market headwinds and proactive cost actions, but highlights encouraging demand trends, capacity rationalization, and a strong cash position, suggesting confidence in a potential recovery.
“About 30% of all global closures have been announced in just the past 12 months, underscoring the speed and magnitude of this shift.”
“South Korea is targeting closures of up to 25%. while Japan recently announced closures of 1.5 million tons.”
“I just want to remind everyone that 20% of U.S. Gulf Coast capacity remains offline and should be back in operation maybe second half of November.”
| Metric | Period | Range | Midpoint | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capex | FY2026 | $1.2B | $1.2B | MAINTAINED |
Recognition as a supplier excellence award from Toyota signals LYB's strong relationship and quality performance, potentially insulate volumes with this key customer.
“And having been recognized with supplier excellence awards by customers like Toyota, Nissan, and Stellantis, amongst others”
… to lower demand from customers in the construction and electronics industries. EBITDA for the first nine months of 2025 exceeded full-year results for 2023 or 2024, clearly demonstrating the excellent progress the APS team is making to transform the business despite the challenging market environment. Looking ahead, we expect near-term demand to remain soft across key sectors and regions. Pricing pressures are partially offsetting the benefits of fixed cost reductions achieved through our cash improvement plan. Despite the challenging market backdrop, we remain laser-focused in our work to transform our APS segment to a customer-centric growth business. With a 75% improvement in our net promoter score with customers since 2023, And having been recognized with supplier excellence awards by customers like Toyota, Nissan, and Stellantis, amongst others, we continue to increase our growth funnel and improve our win rates to gain new project qualifications. We are proactively managing the business portfolio and remain confident that the work we are doing will profitably transform the APS business and enable us to achieve our long-term goals. With that, I will return the call to Peter.
Capacity rationalization in global ethylene is accelerating, with ~30% of announced closures coming in the last 12 months and a 'domino effect' expected to lead to more. — Indicates that the supply/demand imbalance may be resolving faster than expected, potentially benefitting all ethylene producers by flattening the global cost curve for LYB's cost-advantaged assets.
… weak margins are driving massive reductions in petrochemical capacity. Announced rationalizations total approximately 20% of regional capacity, and we expect more announcements will follow. The domino effect of these rationalizations is leading to an acceleration. Smaller petrochemical clusters are finding that the economics for cogeneration or industrial gas partners no longer work when a few assets are shuttered in smaller industrial parks. About 30% of all global closures have been announced in just the past 12 months, underscoring the speed and magnitude of this shift. We're confident that these closures will help to partially offset the overhang from the substantial capacity additions underway in China. At RYB, we're leveraging the market trends that reinforce our strategy. We're growing our presence in cost-advantaged regions, upgrading our challenge positions, and leveraging our technology to ensure a strong presence in attractive markets. We're also cultivating deep partnerships with governments and regulators to ensure a fair trade environment and working towards smart policies, especially in Europe, that will provide critical support for our industry. Now, with that, I …
South Korea is targeting closures of up to 25% of its ethylene capacity, a significant step in regional rationalization. — This is a major supply-side cut from a key exporter, which will materially tighten global polyolefin supply, especially for Asian markets, and improve pricing power for LYB and other producers.
… let's shift to the supply side and discuss how capacity rationalization trends are accelerating and reshaping the global ether lane supply landscape. As seen on the chart to the left, announced and anticipated closures and idling from 2020 through 2028 add up to more than 21 million tons of ethylene capacity, representing roughly 10% of global supply. Asia is leading the way with recent government announcements highlighting the magnitude of this trend. South Korea is targeting closures of up to 25%. while Japan recently announced closures of 1.5 million tons. China is also a critical driver for global rationalization. With high costs for feedstocks, much of the Chinese petrochemical industry is on the wrong end of the cost curve. China's anti-involution measures are focused on reducing uncompetitive capacity and approvals for new facilities are facing increased scrutiny. In Europe, Regulatory burdens, persistently high operating costs, and weak margins are driving massive reductions in petrochemical capacity. Announced rationalizations total approximately 20% of regional capacity, and we expect more announcements will follow. The domino effect of these rationalizations is leading …
US Gulf Coast MTBE capacity is 20% offline, which is supporting strong octane premiums into Q4. — The offline capacity is a key reason for the strength in oxyfuel margins and octane crack spreads, but its expected return could pressure those margins in the latter half of Q4 and beyond.
Thank you so much, and happy Halloween, everyone. Peter, a comment and a question. My comment or I guess to summarize your thoughtful response on the dividend is that, yes, we will pay it in the near term, if I'm interpreting that correctly. And then secondly, from a high-level perspective, you know, looking at the fourth quarter, you outlined 110 million sequential headwinds from turnarounds. You know, obviously we'll layer in some seasonality. that's typical in the fourth quarter. Any other material puts and takes that we should be aware of looking at the fourth quarter relative to the third quarter?
Yeah, thanks, Peter. I appreciate the opportunity to talk a little bit about MTB. So it has, to your point, been a really good start to the quarter with premiums carrying over from September into October. As I mentioned in my plan remarks, much of the third quarter benefit was from both planned and unplanned outages. not only in the U.S. Gulf Coast, but in the Atlantic Basin. And as we've seen those premiums carry over into October, I just want to remind everyone that 20% of U.S. Gulf Coast capacity remains offline and should be back in operation maybe second half of November. So it's still possible that we see positive premiums carry over into November. And what we would usually say is a seasonally low quarter for oxygen fuels margins.
South Korea is targeting closures of up to 25% of its ethylene capacity, a significant step in regional rationalization.
… let's shift to the supply side and discuss how capacity rationalization trends are accelerating and reshaping the global ether lane supply landscape. As seen on the chart to the left, announced and anticipated closures and idling from 2020 through 2028 add up to more than 21 million tons of ethylene capacity, representing roughly 10% of global supply. Asia is leading the way with recent government announcements highlighting the magnitude of this trend. South Korea is targeting closures of up to 25%. while Japan recently announced closures of 1.5 million tons. China is also a critical driver for global rationalization. With high costs for feedstocks, much of the Chinese petrochemical industry is on the wrong end of the cost curve. China's anti-involution measures are focused on reducing uncompetitive capacity and approvals for new facilities are facing increased scrutiny. In Europe, Regulatory burdens, persistently high operating costs, and weak margins are driving massive reductions in petrochemical capacity. Announced rationalizations total approximately 20% of regional capacity, and we expect more announcements will follow. The domino effect of these rationalizations is leading …