LYB vs. SW: LyondellBasell Industries vs. Smurfit Westrock Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) and Smurfit Westrock (SW) 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 Smurfit Westrock (SW) both fall under the Materials industry group, but LYB is classified in Chemicals while SW is classified in Containers & Packaging.

Company profile comparison for LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Profile Item	LYB	SW
Name	LyondellBasell Industries N.V.	Smurfit WestRock Plc
Country/Region	Netherlands	Ireland
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Containers & Packaging
GICS Sub-Industry	Commodity Chemicals	Paper & Plastic Packaging Products & Materials
Market Capitalization	19.63 billion USD	23.13 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	April 28, 2010	June 17, 2008
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

LYB

GSPC

LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW), 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 LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) and Smurfit Westrock (SW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	LYB	SW
Total Return (1Y)	49.52%	29.05%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-7.11%	14.60%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-1.68%	-0.16%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

LYB

GSPC

LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW), 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 LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) and Smurfit Westrock (SW). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	LYB	SW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	42.84%	42.69%
Beta (5Y)	0.32	0.89
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-55.35%	-53.49%
Avg. Volume (3M)	3.62M	4.66M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

LYB and SW 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 Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	LYB	SW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.06	0.58
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.63	0.94

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at 12.18% and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 2.57% 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%

SW

Materials industry group

2.57%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
SW: 2.57%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at 4.05% and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 1.50% 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%

SW

Materials industry group

1.50%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
SW: 1.50%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at 13.40% and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 6.38% 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%

SW

Materials industry group

6.38%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
SW: 6.38%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	LYB	SW
ROE (TTM)	12.18%	2.57%
ROA (TTM)	5.36%	2.50%
Net Margin (TTM)	4.05%	1.50%
Operating Margin (TTM)	13.40%	6.38%
Gross Margin (TTM)	14.56%	17.67%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 47.70% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at -9.71% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in revenue momentum.

LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 62.20% 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. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	LYB	SW
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-9.71%	47.70%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-15.77%	32.15%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-156.39%	62.20%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-30.01%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at 1.78 and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 1.48 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

SW

Materials industry group

1.48

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
SW: 1.48
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 0.78 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

SW

Materials industry group

0.78

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
SW: 0.78
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): 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 Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	LYB	SW
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.78	1.48
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.21	0.78
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.47	2.96

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 4.02% 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.

LYB

Materials industry group

5.58%

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

SW

Materials industry group

4.02%

Max: 4.52%
SW: 4.02%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Smurfit Westrock (SW) reports payout ratio above 100% at 198.63%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) reports 83.29%, ranking against industry peers normally.

LYB

Materials industry group

83.29%

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

SW

Materials industry group

198.63%

SW: 198.63%
Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	LYB	SW
Dividend Yield (TTM)	5.58%	4.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	83.29%	198.63%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at 14.70 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 48.99 sits in the richer quartile — SW needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

LYB

Materials industry group

14.70

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

SW

Materials industry group

48.99

Max: 59.00
SW: 48.99
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) at 0.61 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 0.73 prices around its industry’s middle — LYB costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

LYB

Materials industry group

0.61

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

SW

Materials industry group

0.73

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

LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): 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 Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 1.28 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

SW

Materials industry group

1.28

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
SW: 1.28
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	LYB	SW
P/E Ratio (TTM)	14.70	48.99
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.61	0.73
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.74	1.28
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	9.06%	4.26%