Celanese Shares Rise Despite Earnings Miss and Soft Demand Outlook

Celanese Corporation (NYSE: CE) reported fourth-quarter results that fell short of analyst expectations on both earnings and revenue, although shares rose more than 4% in after-hours trading Tuesday.

The chemical and specialty materials company posted adjusted earnings per share of $0.67, below the $0.91 consensus estimate. Revenue totaled $2.2 billion, slightly under the $2.25 billion forecast and down 6.5% from $2.36 billion in the same quarter last year.

Performance was affected by heavier-than-anticipated year-end destocking and competitive pressures in acetate tow, resulting in sequential volume declines of 7% and price declines of 2%. The company recorded fourth-quarter operating profit of $93 million and adjusted EBIT of $251 million.

For full-year 2025, Celanese generated adjusted earnings per share of $3.98 on net sales of $9.5 billion, representing a 7% year-over-year decline. Operating cash flow totaled $1.1 billion, while free cash flow reached $773 million.

Looking ahead, the company said it expected limited change in the demand environment during the first quarter, with seasonal volume improvements offset by the timing of dividend payments from its acetate tow joint venture in China. Celanese forecast first-quarter adjusted EPS of $0.70 to $0.85 and targeted free cash flow between $650 million and $750 million for 2026.