In This Article:
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Earnings Per Share (EPS): $1.88 per share.
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EBITDA: $1.2 billion for the third quarter.
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Cash from Operating Activities: $670 million generated in the third quarter.
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Cash Balance: $2.6 billion at the end of the third quarter.
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Net Debt to EBITDA: Less than two turns.
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Available Liquidity: $7.3 billion.
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Olefins and Polyolefins - Americas EBITDA: $758 million, up 13% quarter-on-quarter and 50% year-on-year.
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Olefins and Polyolefins - Europe, Asia and International EBITDA: $81 million.
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Intermediates and Derivatives EBITDA: $317 million, a decline of $184 million.
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Advanced Polymer Solutions EBITDA: $19 million.
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Technology Segment EBITDA: $69 million.
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Cash Conversion Rate: 77% over the last 12 months.
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Dividends and Share Repurchases: $479 million returned during the quarter.
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Capital Investment: $368 million funded during the quarter.
Release Date: November 01, 2024
For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.
Positive Points
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LyondellBasell Industries NV (NYSE:LYB) demonstrated strong safety performance with a total recordable incident rate of 0.13, exceeding top quartile peers.
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The company achieved a 13% sequential EBITDA improvement in its Olefins and Polyolefins - Americas segment, marking the strongest quarter since Q2 2022.
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LYB generated $670 million in cash from operating activities, maintaining strong cash conversion despite challenging market conditions.
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The company started construction of its MoReTec-1 facility in Germany, supported by a EUR40 million EU Innovation Fund grant, showcasing its commitment to circular and low-carbon solutions.
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LYB maintained robust shareholder returns with dividends and share repurchases totaling almost $1.8 billion over the last 12 months.
Negative Points
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A sharp decline in gasoline crack spreads negatively impacted the refining and oxyfuels segments, leading to lower quarterly results.
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The European Olefins and Polyolefins segment faced stable but muted demand with no signs of macroeconomic recovery, resulting in an EBITDA of $81 million.
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The Advanced Polymer Solutions segment experienced weaker demand, particularly in the automotive sector, leading to substantial headwinds for volumes and pricing.
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The Intermediates and Derivatives segment saw a $184 million decline in EBITDA due to decreased raw material margins for oxyfuels.
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LYB anticipates typical seasonal demand patterns will result in lower fourth-quarter profitability across most businesses, with improvements deferred until 2025.
Q & A Highlights
Q: What is causing the strong order book for North American polyethylene in October despite expectations of a seasonal slowdown? A: Peter Vanacker, CEO, explained that the strong orders in October are partly due to an overhang from September, which was slower compared to previous months. Kimberly Foley, EVP of Global O&P, added that the stabilization of crude prices and continued demand for both exports and domestic markets are contributing to the strong order book.