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Investing.com -- Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE) shares plunged 13.5% after the global chemical and specialty materials company issued third-quarter guidance well below analyst expectations, despite reporting better-than-expected second quarter results.
The company posted adjusted earnings per share of $1.44 for the second quarter, exceeding analyst estimates of $1.40. Revenue came in at $2.53 billion, slightly above the consensus estimate of $2.5 billion but down 4.5% compared to $2.65 billion in the same quarter last year. The revenue increase of 6% from the previous quarter was driven by a 4% rise in volume and 3% in currency, with a small offset in price.
Investors reacted negatively to Celanese’s third-quarter outlook, which projects adjusted earnings per share between $1.10 and $1.40, significantly below the analyst consensus of $1.73. The company cited a softening demand environment across most key end-markets in the second half of the year as the primary reason for the conservative guidance.
"In this low-demand environment that remains uncertain, we will continue to emphasize cash flow," said Scott Richardson, president and chief executive officer. "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."
The company generated $410 million in operating cash flow and $311 million in free cash flow during the quarter, driven by sequential earnings improvement and progress in inventory reduction in the Engineered Materials segment. Celanese reaffirmed its expectation to deliver $700 to $800 million of free cash flow in 2025.
Celanese’s Engineered Materials segment reported second quarter net sales of $1.4 billion, a 12% increase from the previous quarter, while the Acetyl Chain segment delivered $1.1 billion in net sales.
"Since the start of 2025, we have been clear that cash generation is our number one priority," Richardson added. "We anticipated the possibility of a challenging demand environment throughout the year and have emphasized the importance of cash generation, which has enabled us to pay off our delayed draw term loan."
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