LyondellBasell Industries Stock Tanks: What’s Behind the August 2025 Crash?
Another day, another chemical giant stumbles. LyondellBasell Industries’ stock just took a nosedive—here’s why Wall Street’s dumping it like hot garbage.
Earnings Miss or Market Panic?
No sugarcoating it: the numbers flopped. Analysts expected a rally, but LYB got caught in the macro crossfire—rising input costs, sluggish demand, and the usual ‘economic uncertainty’ excuses.
Institutional Exodus
Hedge funds bolted faster than a DeFi rug pull. Volume spiked 200% above average as the big players cut losses. Retail? Left holding the bag, per usual.
Silver Lining or Dead Cat Bounce?
Technicals suggest oversold conditions… but good luck timing that rebound. Remember: ‘Buy the dip’ only works until it doesn’t. Meanwhile, corporate PR spins this as a ‘strategic repositioning’—sure, and Bitcoin’s ‘digital gold.’
Bottom-line miss
LyondellBasell's performance for the quarter wasn't overly impressive. Revenue sank marginally on a year-over-year basis to just under $7.66 billion. Although non-GAAP (adjusted) net income nearly doubled to $202 million, it fell short of the consensus analyst estimate.
The fallout within the pundit community on Monday was pronounced, as analysts weighed in with either price target cuts or reiterations of existing bearish takes.
's Michael Sison, for one, reduced his fair value assessment of LyondellBasell to $65 per share. Before that, he had flagged it as being worth $75. Still, he maintained his overweight (buy, in other words) recommendation on the stock.
A less positive view of the company's prospects was expressed by his peer John Roberts of Mizuho. Roberts shaved $5 from his LyondellBasell price target for a new level of $62. In doing so, he kept his neutral recommendation intact.
Reductions and pauses
The big LyondellBasell bear of the day wasprognosticator Duffy Fischer. In reiterating his sell rating and $59 per-share price target on the stock, according to reports, Fischer pointed out that the company was aiming to reduce its capital expenditures next year. Additionally, it is apparently not planning any further share buybacks, an activity that often boosts the value of a stock.
