LyondellBasell Industries NV said that its first-quarter earnings rose thanks to revenue growth and a credit from a settlement, the Wall Street Journal reported today. The company posted earnings of $945 million, or $1.72 a share, up from $901 million, or $1.55 a share, in the year-ago period. The results included a $52 million credit related to an environmental indemnity settlement, the company said. The chemical-and-polymer producer, which emerged from chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2010, said earlier this month that it would buy back an additional 10 percent of its shares while boosting its quarterly dividend 17 percent.
