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Eastman Chemical Company EMN recently stated that it will invest in upgrading and expanding its extrusion capability for producing Interlayers product lines at its Ghent, Belgium, manufacturing site. The investment will enhance Eastman's supply capacity for Saflex polyvinyl butyral (PVB) products in the Automotive Premiums sector and position it for future growth in automotive and architecture segments. The project is expected to be completed by 2026.
Strong macrotrends in expanding connectivity, autonomous driving and electrification are driving growing demand for Eastman's Automotive Premium products, which include Saflex Horizon Vision for head-up displays, the Saflex color and solar portfolio and novel solutions such as Evoca RSL for electric vehicles. This investment will support the company's innovation-driven growth strategy and give more service differentiation to clients.
Saflex interlayers are constructed of PVB films laminated between two sheets of glass. Eastman's PVB interlayers improve automotive and architectural glass lamination in a variety of ways, including solar management, noise reduction, safety, security and ultraviolet protection. Interlayers is part of Eastman's Advanced Materials business segment.
Eastman Chemical’s shares have surged 27% over a year compared with industry’s 1.1% rise.
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The company expects earnings per share for 2024 to be between $7.50 and $7.70. EMN expects operating cash flow to total $1.3 billion in 2024.
Eastman anticipates normal seasonal volume declines across most of its end markets in the fourth quarter. It expects to continue leveraging its innovation-driven growth model to drive growth.
Eastman Chemical Company Price and Consensus
Eastman Chemical Company price-consensus-chart | Eastman Chemical Company Quote
EMN’s Rank & Key Picks
EMN currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Better-ranked stocks in the basic materials space include Carpenter Technology Corporation CRS, IAMGOLD Corporation IAG and CF Industries Inc. CF.
Carpenter Technology currently carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). CRS beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 14.1%. The company's shares have soared 157.2% in the past year. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for IAG’s current-year earnings is pegged at 56 cents, indicating a year-over-year rise of 522.2%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for IAG's current-year earnings has been going up in the past 30 days. IAG, a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock, beat the consensus estimate in each of the last four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 203.4%. The company's shares have rallied roughly 112% in the past year.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CF’s current-year earnings is pegged at $6.32 per share. CF, a Zacks Rank #1 stock, beat the consensus estimate in two of the last four quarters while missed twice, with the average earnings surprise being 10.3%. CF has rallied around 13.1% in the past year.