Celanese Corporation Reports Second Quarter 2020 Earnings

Strong Cash Flow Generation and Solid Results

Celanese Corporation (NYSE: CE), a global chemical and specialty materials company, reported second quarter GAAP diluted earnings per share of $0.93 and adjusted earnings per share of $1.30 on net sales of $1.2 billion. The Company exceeded expectations in mitigating the effects of COVID-19 and limited its impact on second quarter earnings to less than the previously forecasted range. These results were due to the resiliency of Acetyl Chain, the strength of Engineered Materials‘ commercial model and the continued stability in Acetate Tow. Celanese generated steady operating cash flow of $379 million and free cash flow of $283 million for the second quarter. The consistent strong cash generation, resulting from the focused efforts around productivity, fixed cost management and pricing discipline, continues to strengthen the Company’s balance sheet and add capacity to pursue future growth. The recently announced Polyplastics transaction monetizes the ownership in a passive investment and further improves the Company’s ability to make opportunistic investments.

„The focus and dedication of our employees, despite the challenges of COVID-19, enabled the Company to surpass our guidance for the quarter. The decisive actions taken by our global team to fully maximize the core strengths of the Company has helped to offset the severe demand deterioration, particularly in the Western Hemisphere. Even in these difficult times, the resolve and commitment of our employees is a testament to the Celanese spirit of action and collaboration. We continue to be purposeful in the steps we are taking today to prepare us for recovery and growth in the future,“ said Lori Ryerkerk, chairman and chief executive officer.

Second Quarter 2020 Financial Highlights:

Second Quarter 2020 Highlights:

• Announced the agreement to monetize our equity investment in the Polyplastics joint venture for cash proceeds of $1.575 billion, which will be redeployed to expected higher return investments. This transaction is expected to close in the second half of this fiscal year.

• Increased our outstanding share repurchase authorization to $1.563 billion, which includes a $500 million increase approved by the Board of Directors in July 2020.

• Delivered robust operating cash flow of $379 million and free cash flow of $283 million even with the significant demand decline.

• Announced the establishment of a European Compounding Center of Excellence at the Company’s Forli, Italy facility, which includes the intended consolidation of compounding operations in Kaiserslautern, Germany; Wehr, Germany; and Ferrara Marconi, Italy.

• Executed $135 million in productivity initiatives year to date, more than two-thirds of our 2020 target.

• Announced a contract extension and enhancement with Nanjing Chengzhi Clean Energy Co., Ltd to provide Celanese’s Nanjing facility with a sustained supply of carbon monoxide for its 1,200 kiloton acetic acid plant.

• Signed a long-term commercial agreement to supply Anhui Wanwei Group Co., Ltd with Celanese’s green technology-based, ethylene-based vinyl acetate monomer.

• Celanese Clarifoil anti-fog film selected by Safilo Group as the premium film for protective eyewear solutions.

• US sites and offices collectively donated 25,000 N-95 masks to local hospitals, emergency responders, and nursing homes.

Second Quarter 2020 Business Segment Overview

Engineered Materials (EM)

Engineered Materials generated second quarter net sales of $420 million, reflecting stable pricing performance despite the sequential volume decline of 25 percent. The volume decline is largely attributed to the sequential global automotive demand decline of approximately 50 percent and significantly weaker demand across consumer appliances and industrial applications. Unlike previous economic downturns, this past quarter was marked by the impact of COVID-19 restrictions which effectively halted auto production for over two months across the vast majority of plants in the Western Hemisphere. The continued deferral of elective medical procedures in many locations due to COVID-19 resulted in medical volumes below our expectations in the quarter. The business was able to successfully maintain global pricing levels and slightly improve margins over raw materials costs. The EM business generated a GAAP operating loss of $13 million and adjusted EBIT of $40 million. GAAP operating loss and adjusted EBIT were impacted by approximately $40 million in incremental turnaround and inventory related costs, mainly associated with the completed turnaround at Bishop. The $27 million sequential decline of affiliate earnings was mainly attributed to the weaker performance of Ibn Sina amidst historically low oil prices.

Acetyl Chain

Acetyl Chain recorded net sales of $662 million in the second quarter, resulting from the sequential decline in pricing and volume of 11 percent and 6 percent, respectively. The continued deflationary environment for raw materials, including sharp declines in methanol and ethylene, added further pressure to the deterioration of industry pricing. Acetyl Chain generated GAAP operating profit of $121 million and adjusted EBIT of $116 million. The commercial actions taken by the team resulted in operating profit margin of 18.3 percent and adjusted EBIT margin of 17.5 percent which were higher margins than the prior quarter. Acetyl Chain continued to demonstrate its flexible, customer focused business model and purposefully flexed its product and regional optionality to drive operating profit margin improvement of 140 basis points. Based upon customer demand recovery in China, Acetyl Chain directed more sequential volume of VAM, emulsions and certain acid derivatives to China and utilized its low cost manufacturing footprint to service customers across a wide range of applications around the globe.

Acetate Tow

Acetate Tow reported GAAP operating profit of $31 million and adjusted EBIT of $64 million in the second quarter, with operating profit margin of 24.4 percent and adjusted EBIT margin of 50.4 percent. The business provides us with stable earnings as the underlying demand for tow products remains unaffected by the global pandemic. Dividends from affiliates were $32 million in the second quarter, lower sequentially due to the timing of dividend payments.

Cash Flow and Tax

The Company delivered strong second quarter operating cash flow and free cash flow of $379 million and $283 million, respectively, driven by resilient business performance, continued productivity, fixed cost management and pricing discipline. Capital expenditures in the quarter were $88 million, consistent with last year’s average quarterly levels. For the quarter, a total of $74 million in cash was returned to shareholders through dividends. The effective US GAAP tax rate was 24 percent in the second quarter compared to 12 percent in the same quarter of last year, primarily due to adjustments in uncertain tax positions, tax attribute carryforwards and year over year earnings profile. Due to adjusted forecasts of foreign tax credit utilization for 2020, the Company lowered the full year adjusted tax rate to 12 percent in the quarter versus the 13 percent rate reflected in the prior quarter and prior year. This resulted in an adjusted tax rate of 10 percent for the quarter.

Outlook

„We have started to see demand recovery with the early third quarter order book at improved levels compared to the second quarter. We anticipate a modest sequential improvement in earnings next quarter with Engineered Materials leading the way with expected solid recovery in the automotive end market. We expect to see relatively consistent results in the Acetyl Chain with a modest volume recovery offsetting incremental energy and turnaround costs. The recent surge in COVID-19 cases continues to be of concern not only in terms of the impact on the economic recovery but, more importantly, to the health and safety of our employees. We continue to take all the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our employees, which remains our highest priority,“ continued Ryerkerk. „Our focus remains on productivity, sourcing flexibility and working capital management and on taking intentional steps for recovery and growth into next year. As we navigate the challenges of this global pandemic, I am confident that we are well-positioned as a company to continue to be opportunistic in creating sustained value for our shareholders.“

The Company’s prepared remarks related to the second quarter will be posted on its website at investors.celanese.com under Financial Information/Financial Document Library after market close on July 28, 2020. Information about Non-US GAAP measures is included in a Non-US GAAP Financial Measures and Supplemental Information document posted on our website. See „Non-GAAP Financial Measures“ below.

Celanese Corporation is a global chemical leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. Our businesses use the full breadth of Celanese’s global chemistry, technology and commercial expertise to create value for our customers, employees, shareholders and the corporation. As we partner with our customers to solve their most critical business needs, we strive to make a positive impact on our communities and the world through The Celanese Foundation. Based in Dallas, Celanese employs approximately 7,700 employees worldwide and had 2019 net sales of $6.3 billion. For more information about Celanese Corporation and its product offerings, visit www.celanese.com or our blog at www.celaneseblog.com.