LYB vs. PKX: LyondellBasell Industries vs. POSCO Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) and POSCO (PKX) 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

LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) and POSCO (PKX) both fall under the Materials industry group, but LYB is classified in Chemicals while PKX is classified in Metals & Mining.

LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) trades as ordinary local shares, while POSCO (PKX) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) and POSCO (PKX)
Profile Item	LYB	PKX
Name	LyondellBasell Industries N.V.	POSCO Holdings Inc. American Depositary Receipt
Country/Region	Netherlands	South Korea
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Commodity Chemicals	Steel
Market Capitalization	19.63 billion USD	14.79 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	April 28, 2010	October 14, 1994
Security Type	Common Stock	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

LYB

PKX

GSPC

LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) vs. POSCO (PKX), 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

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

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	LYB	PKX
Total Return (1Y)	49.52%	-4.84%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-7.11%	-15.65%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-1.68%	-1.81%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

LYB

PKX

GSPC

LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) vs. POSCO (PKX), 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

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

Risk Metrics

POSCO (PKX) has an aggressive beta of 1.71, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) is defensive at 0.32 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	LYB	PKX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	42.84%	46.00%
Beta (5Y)	0.32	1.71
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-55.35%	-68.71%
Avg. Volume (3M)	3.62M	216.95K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

LYB and PKX 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 LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	LYB	PKX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.06	-0.20
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.63	-0.30

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at 12.18% and POSCO (PKX) at 2.21% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

LYB

Materials industry group

12.18%

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

PKX

Materials industry group

2.21%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
PKX: 2.21%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Both LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at 4.05% and POSCO (PKX) at 1.89% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

LYB

Materials industry group

4.05%

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

PKX

Materials industry group

1.89%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
PKX: 1.89%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at 13.40% and POSCO (PKX) at 4.26% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

LYB

Materials industry group

13.40%

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

PKX

Materials industry group

4.26%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
PKX: 4.26%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	LYB	PKX
ROE (TTM)	12.18%	2.21%
ROA (TTM)	5.36%	1.31%
Net Margin (TTM)	4.05%	1.89%
Operating Margin (TTM)	13.40%	4.26%
Gross Margin (TTM)	14.56%	7.87%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at -9.71% and POSCO (PKX) at -6.09% post bottom-quartile revenue growth versus peers, pointing to weaker demand or pricing momentum than typical rivals.

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

EPS Growth

POSCO (PKX) at -29.00% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at -156.39% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	LYB	PKX
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-9.71%	-6.09%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-15.77%	-6.72%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-156.39%	-29.00%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-39.42%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at 1.78 and POSCO (PKX) at 1.98 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

LYB

Materials industry group

1.78

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

PKX

Materials industry group

1.98

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
PKX: 1.98
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

POSCO (PKX) at 0.50 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at 1.21 uses more debt funding than most peers.

LYB

Materials industry group

1.21

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

PKX

Materials industry group

0.50

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
PKX: 0.50
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	LYB	PKX
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.78	1.98
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.21	0.50
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.47	2.81

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at 5.58% and POSCO (PKX) at 18,518.52% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

LYB

Materials industry group

5.58%

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

PKX

Materials industry group

18,518.52%

PKX: 18,518.52%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at 83.29% and POSCO (PKX) at 51.60% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

LYB

Materials industry group

83.29%

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

PKX

Materials industry group

51.60%

Max: 83.62%
PKX: 51.60%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	LYB	PKX
Dividend Yield (TTM)	5.58%	18,518.52%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	83.29%	51.60%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at 14.70 and POSCO (PKX) at 15.57 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

LYB

Materials industry group

14.70

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

PKX

Materials industry group

15.57

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
PKX: 15.57
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) vs. POSCO (PKX): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at 0.61 and POSCO (PKX) at 0.00 fetch a relatively low price per dollar of sales, landing in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

LYB

Materials industry group

0.61

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

PKX

Materials industry group

0.00

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
PKX: 0.00
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at 1.74 and POSCO (PKX) at 1.36 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

LYB

Materials industry group

1.74

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

PKX

Materials industry group

1.36

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
PKX: 1.36
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	LYB	PKX
P/E Ratio (TTM)	14.70	15.57
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.61	0.00
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.74	1.36
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	9.06%	-23,410.34%