Celanese sees Q3 adjusted EPS $1.10-$1.40, consensus $1.73

Celanese (CE) expects a softening demand environment across most key end-markets in the second half of the year. The Company anticipates slowing demand will partially offset the benefits from the cost reduction actions that are expected to be realized in the third quarter. Additionally, Celanese anticipates an approximate $25 million negative sequential impact to earnings due to ongoing inventory reduction efforts. “In this low-demand environment that remains uncertain, we will continue to emphasize cash flow. While our order books are developing at a slower pace so far compared to last quarter, we remain agile and are poised to pivot our operations to align with available demand,” said Scott Richardson. “Considering these dynamics, and our intention to release cash through inventory reduction, we anticipate third quarter adjusted earnings per share to be $1.10 to $1.40. Given the actions we are taking, our expectation remains to deliver $700 to $800 million of free cash flow in 2025.” “This is a challenging macro, and our teams are exhibiting resilience to continually find new areas to create value,” continued Richardson. “We are relentlessly focused on identifying additional actions and we continue to take steps to stabilize the business, right size our cost structure, and position our company for long-term value creation.”