Eastman Chemical Company posted strong first-quarter financial results with adjusted EPS in line with our guidance in January and up 19% year over year. 

During the quarter, Eastman’s sales revenue decreased 1 percent as 1 percent lower sales volume/mix and an unfavorable foreign currency exchange impact were partially offset by 1 percent higher selling prices.

Sales volume/mix was primarily driven by customer inventory destocking in acetate tow products, mostly offset by higher sales volume/mix in Additives & Functional Products and Chemical Intermediates. Higher selling prices were due to cost-pass-through contracts.

EBIT increased primarily due to the Kingsport methanolysis facility running well and improved price-cost across the specialties and Chemical Intermediates. These factors were partially offset by lower sales volume/mix for Fibers and an unfavorable foreign currency exchange impact. Adjusted EBIT margins increased 170 basis points.

 “Leveraging our innovation-driven growth model, we delivered a strong quarter in line with expectations,” said Mark Costa, Board Chair and CEO.

“Against the backdrop of a highly volatile and uncertain macroeconomic environment, our teams drove sequential volume/mix improvements across most segments, partially offset by expected destocking in Fibers. We focused on innovation and commercial excellence in defending the value of our products as well as controlling costs. We recorded our best-ever quarter of uptime and production quantities at the Kingsport methanolysis facility and remain on track for the production targets and cost benefits detailed earlier this year. Although our solid first-quarter results positioned us to be in line with our original guidance, late in the quarter, the reality of a global trade dispute increased significantly. We began taking action to optimally navigate the next several quarters. Our first-quarter results, coupled with our bias for action, give me great confidence in our ability to deliver strong cash flow and resilient earnings going forward.” 

In first-quarter 2025, cash used in operating activities was $167 million versus $16 million in first quarter 2024. The primary driver was an increased use of cash for working capital due to inventory that was built for a higher-than-usual planned shutdown season in second quarter 2025. The company returned $96 million to stockholders through dividends. See Table 5. Priorities for uses of available cash for 2025 include capital expenditures, payment of the quarterly dividend, and share repurchases.

2025 Outlook

Commenting on the outlook for full-year 2025, Costa said: “We are proud to have delivered a solid first quarter in a challenging, uncertain environment. Since the end of the first quarter, the macroeconomic uncertainty that defined the last several years has only increased, and future end-market demand is unclear given the magnitude and scope of tariffs. In this context, we are focused on controllable actions, including an increased priority on cash generation in preparation for a potential recession. We are also increasing our cost reduction target to approximately $75 million net of inflation and reducing capital expenditures to around $550 million. With an innovative portfolio of specialty products, a diverse set of end markets, and a solid balance sheet, we are well positioned to navigate issues associated with escalating tariffs impacting global trade. In this context, we expect to generate strong operating cash flow of approximately $1.2 billion for full-year 2025 consistent with our track record of delivering cash in varied macro environments. With a broad range of outcomes for the global economy and limited visibility, the company is moving to quarterly adjusted earnings per share guidance. In the second quarter, order patterns for April remain stable with March, and we expect a modest sequential volume increase across our markets, but due to trade uncertainty, not as much as typical. Second quarter also includes headwinds associated with tariffs between the U.S. and China and higher planned maintenance costs. Taking these factors together, second-quarter adjusted EPS is expected to be in the range of $1.70 to $1.90.”