DOW vs. LYB: Dow vs. LyondellBasell Industries Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Dow (DOW) and LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Dow (DOW) and LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) are both classified in the Commodity Chemicals sub-industry within the broader Chemicals industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Dow (DOW) and LyondellBasell Industries (LYB)
Profile Item	DOW	LYB
Name	Dow Inc.	LyondellBasell Industries N.V.
Country/Region	United States	Netherlands
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Chemicals
GICS Sub-Industry	Commodity Chemicals	Commodity Chemicals
Market Capitalization	22.73 billion USD	19.63 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 20, 2019	April 28, 2010
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DOW

LYB

GSPC

Dow (DOW) vs. LyondellBasell Industries (LYB), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for Dow (DOW) and LyondellBasell Industries (LYB). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for Dow (DOW) and LyondellBasell Industries (LYB). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Dow (DOW) and LyondellBasell Industries (LYB)
Metric	DOW	LYB
Total Return (1Y)	46.93%	49.52%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-8.46%	-7.11%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-6.94%	-1.68%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DOW

LYB

GSPC

Dow (DOW) vs. LyondellBasell Industries (LYB), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

Loading price history…

Distribution of monthly total returns for Dow (DOW) and LyondellBasell Industries (LYB). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Dow (DOW) and LyondellBasell Industries (LYB)
Metric	DOW	LYB
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	41.81%	42.84%
Beta (5Y)	0.44	0.32
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-64.37%	-55.35%
Avg. Volume (3M)	8.52M	3.62M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

DOW and LYB are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Dow (DOW) and LyondellBasell Industries (LYB)
Metric	DOW	LYB
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.02	1.06
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.62	1.63

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Dow (DOW) reports a negative ROE of -3.24%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) reports 12.18%, ranking against industry peers normally.

DOW

Materials industry group

-3.24%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
DOW: -3.24%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

LYB

Materials industry group

12.18%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
LYB: 12.18%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

Dow (DOW) vs. LyondellBasell Industries (LYB): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Dow (DOW) reports a negative net margin of -2.11%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) reports 4.05%, ranking against industry peers normally.

DOW

Materials industry group

-2.11%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
DOW: -2.11%
Min: -20.40%

LYB

Materials industry group

4.05%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
LYB: 4.05%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

Dow (DOW) vs. LyondellBasell Industries (LYB): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Dow (DOW) at 6.78% and LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at 13.40% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

DOW

Materials industry group

6.78%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
DOW: 6.78%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

LYB

Materials industry group

13.40%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
LYB: 13.40%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

Dow (DOW) vs. LyondellBasell Industries (LYB): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Dow (DOW) and LyondellBasell Industries (LYB)
Metric	DOW	LYB
ROE (TTM)	-3.24%	12.18%
ROA (TTM)	1.87%	5.36%
Net Margin (TTM)	-2.11%	4.05%
Operating Margin (TTM)	6.78%	13.40%
Gross Margin (TTM)	11.01%	14.56%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Dow (DOW) at -6.97% and LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at -9.71% post bottom-quartile revenue growth versus peers, pointing to weaker demand or pricing momentum than typical rivals.

Dow (DOW) vs. LyondellBasell Industries (LYB): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Neither side shows strong earnings momentum: LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at -156.39% sits in the bottom EPS growth quartile, and Dow (DOW) at -335.67% is weaker still, below its industry range.

Dow (DOW) vs. LyondellBasell Industries (LYB): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Dow (DOW) and LyondellBasell Industries (LYB)
Metric	DOW	LYB
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-6.97%	-9.71%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-11.11%	-15.77%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-335.67%	-156.39%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Dow (DOW) at 1.76 and LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at 1.78 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

DOW

Materials industry group

1.76

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
DOW: 1.76
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

LYB

Materials industry group

1.78

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
LYB: 1.78
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

Dow (DOW) vs. LyondellBasell Industries (LYB): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Dow (DOW) at 1.08 and LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at 1.21 lean more heavily on debt funding than most peers, landing in the higher-leverage quartile of their industries.

DOW

Materials industry group

1.08

Max: 1.98
DOW: 1.08
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

LYB

Materials industry group

1.21

Max: 1.98
LYB: 1.21
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

Dow (DOW) vs. LyondellBasell Industries (LYB): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Dow (DOW) and LyondellBasell Industries (LYB)
Metric	DOW	LYB
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.76	1.78
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.08	1.21
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.21	2.47

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Dow (DOW) at 4.38% earns its spot in the top quartile of its industry’s yields; LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at 5.58% is past the top of its own peer range — territory where a dividend-safety check matters more than the headline number.

DOW

Materials industry group

4.38%

Max: 4.52%
DOW: 4.38%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

LYB

Materials industry group

5.58%

LYB: 5.58%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Dow (DOW) vs. LyondellBasell Industries (LYB): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Dow (DOW) reports payout ratio above 100% at 700.00%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) reports 83.29%, ranking against industry peers normally.

DOW

Materials industry group

700.00%

DOW: 700.00%
Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

LYB

Materials industry group

83.29%

Max: 83.62%
LYB: 83.29%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Dow (DOW) vs. LyondellBasell Industries (LYB): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Dow (DOW) and LyondellBasell Industries (LYB)
Metric	DOW	LYB
Dividend Yield (TTM)	4.38%	5.58%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	700.00%	83.29%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) trades at 14.70 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Dow (DOW) has no P/E ratio this period.

DOW

Materials industry group

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93
DOW: --

LYB

Materials industry group

14.70

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
LYB: 14.70
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

Dow (DOW) vs. LyondellBasell Industries (LYB): DOW does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; LYB is benchmarked against the Materials industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Dow (DOW) at 0.53 and LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at 0.61 fetch a relatively low price per dollar of sales, landing in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

DOW

Materials industry group

0.53

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
DOW: 0.53
Min: 0.00

LYB

Materials industry group

0.61

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
LYB: 0.61
Min: 0.00

Dow (DOW) vs. LyondellBasell Industries (LYB): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Dow (DOW) at 1.41 and LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at 1.74 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

DOW

Materials industry group

1.41

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
DOW: 1.41
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

LYB

Materials industry group

1.74

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
LYB: 1.74
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

Dow (DOW) vs. LyondellBasell Industries (LYB): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Dow (DOW) and LyondellBasell Industries (LYB)
Metric	DOW	LYB
P/E Ratio (TTM)	--	14.70
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.53	0.61
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.41	1.74
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.95%	9.06%