Key Highlights

  • Celanese's third-quarter 2026 net sales totaled $2.556 billion, while free Cash Flow came in at $461 million.
  • Chemours recorded Net Income of $196 million, a figure that absorbed a $150 million insurance receipt.
  • Huntsman's net loss shrank to $18 million as Revenue grew 18%.
  • Cabot set fiscal 2027 adjusted EPS guidance between $6.15 and $6.75.
  • Metallus reported $23.8 million of net income and a defense contract that could reach $995 million.

Five Producers Report, With Revenue Gains From 3% to About 18%

Five materials companies released quarterly numbers on Nov 2, 2026, spanning Commodity chemicals, specialty chemicals and specialty steel. Their revenue gains ran from roughly 3% up to about 18%, but profitability diverged sharply across the set.

Among the names, Celanese (NYSE:CE) brought in third-quarter 2026 sales of $2.556 billion, roughly 6% higher than a year earlier, and lifted its free cash flow expectations; adjusted EPS was $1.65. Chemours (NYSE:CC) had $1,540 million in sales, and its $196 million of net income benefited from a $150 million insurance payment. Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) lifted revenue 18% to $1,717 million yet still lost $18 million.

Cabot (NYSE:CBT) reported fiscal fourth-quarter 2026 revenue of $1,009 million and $66 million of net income, whereas Metallus (NYSE:MTUS) reported $337.2 million of net sales and $23.8 million of net income. The fiscal calendars differ, so Cabot's quarter ending Sep 30, 2026 is a fiscal fourth quarter, not a third. Each firm also defines its adjusted measures differently.

Celanese: Free Cash Flow Guidance Rises as Sales Slip From the Second Quarter

Relative to the prior-year quarter, third-quarter sales rose roughly 6%, but against the second quarter they fell 7%, something Leadership framed as foreseen moderation. Adjusted EPS came in at $1.65, compared with $1.34, and net Earnings attributable to the company totaled $74 million.

The Acetyl Chain segment expanded sales 14% to $1.209 billion, helped by pricing and spot-market opportunities. Engineered Materials edged down 1% to $1.368 billion, as a 6% drag from a divested Business offset gains. The prior-year GAAP figures contained a $1.1 billion non-cash Goodwill impairment, which distorts that comparison.

Free cash flow reached $461 million, and net Debt declined to $10.183 billion. Full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance was placed at about $6.00 to $6.25, while free cash flow guidance was lifted to $750 million to $800 million. The files do not state the earlier EPS guidance, and the net debt comparison depends on a column order that should be verified.

Chemours: Insurance Receipt and Titanium Gains Explain the Jump to $196 Million

Pricing lifted Chemours' net sales 5% and Volume subtracted 2%, leaving sales at $1,540 million, up 3%. The Bottom Line of $196 million, or $1.29 per diluted share, compared with $46 million previously, was helped by a $150 million insurance payment connected to a PFAS consent order. Because that receipt cut SG&A, the adjusted figures tell a cleaner story.

Adjusted net income climbed 19% to $31 million, and adjusted EBITDA moved from $189 million up to $200 million. The Titanium Technologies line saw its adjusted EBITDA more than triple, going from $25 million to $85 million, with a 10% pricing lift assisting. Thermal and Specialized Solutions sales slid 9% to $510 million, with Opteon down 22%.

Chemours expects fourth-quarter adjusted EBITDA of $160 million to $185 million and $775 million to $800 million for 2026. The files do not contain its prior guidance.

Huntsman: Pricing Gains Cut the Loss Ahead of a Merger Expected to Close in Early 2027

Huntsman's Top Line moved up roughly 18%, from $1,460 million to $1,717 million; selling prices contributed 15 points and volume the other 3. The attributable loss narrowed to $18 million, equal to $0.10 per share, against $25 million before. Adjusted EBITDA reached $132 million, a figure that is about 40% above the $94 million base (calculated), and adjusted net income was $7 million.

The Polyurethanes segment rose 21%, reaching $1,152 million, and Advanced Materials advanced 18% to $314 million. On the cash side, the quarter produced $82 million of free cash flow against $157 million earlier, while the nine-month figure turned negative at $99 million after Working Capital absorbed $189 million.

Holders signed off on the planned merger of equals with a fellow chemicals producer on Aug 25, 2026, and completion is now targeted for early 2027. No formal guidance was issued, but management did describe an expectation of net debt Leverage near 4x by the end of the year.

Cabot: Lower Adjusted EPS Despite Higher Net Income, With a Fresh Fiscal 2027 Target

Revenue for the fiscal fourth quarter reached $1,009 million, a calculated 12.2% gain from $899 million. Profit landed at $1.25 for each diluted share, which totals $66 million, up from $43 million. On an adjusted basis, though, EPS eased to $1.61 from $1.70, because restructuring and similar items took away $0.36 a share versus $0.91 a year before.

Performance Chemicals EBIT rose by $18 million, landing at $60 million, while Reinforcement Materials EBIT fell $32 million to $87 million because Gross Profit per ton weakened. For the whole fiscal year, earnings were $213 million against $331 million, while adjusted EPS landed at $6.42 compared with $7.25.

Over the year, Cabot distributed $97 million to holders through dividends and spent $146 million on repurchases. Its new chief executive oversees fiscal 2027 adjusted EPS guidance of $6.15 to $6.75, while a Department of Energy grant of $50 million supports its battery materials push.

Metallus: Defense Logistics Contract and Sales Target Shape a Stronger Quarter

Sales for Metallus reached $337.2 million, climbing 10% from $305.9 million a year before. Its $23.8 million of net income equaled $0.55 per diluted share, compared with $8.1 million earlier. Excluding a $15.7 million pre-tax benefit-plan remeasurement gain, adjusted net income was $14.9 million.

Adjusted EBITDA reached $34.5 million, compared with $29.0 million. Ship tons totaled 165,800, which is 5% lower sequentially and 2% higher than a year ago. The company hit its annualized $250 million sales goal for aerospace and defense and secured a Defense Logistics Agency deal worth as much as $995 million over five years, including an initial $125 million purchase order.

For full-year 2026, adjusted EBITDA is projected at $100 million to $105 million. The fourth quarter should come in under the third, as shutdown maintenance trims roughly $10 million to $15 million.

Peer Scorecard: Revenue Concentration, Margin Spread and Fiscal Timing

The five reports together reflect roughly $7.16 billion in revenue (calculated), with Celanese supplying roughly 36% of that figure (calculated). Celanese's quarterly sales were about 7.6 times Metallus's (calculated), which underscores how different the scales are.

Taking a plain mean of the growth rates yields about 9.7% (calculated), with the spread running from 3% at Chemours up to roughly 18% at Huntsman. The combined net income figure of approximately $341.8 million (calculated) mixes Huntsman's loss with one-off gains at Chemours and Metallus.

Chemours posted a net margin near 12.7% (calculated), while Celanese came in at 2.9% (calculated), and the insurance receipt accounts for much of the difference.

What to Watch Next: Dec 9 Investor Session, Merger Closing and Chemours Outlook

A Celanese investor gathering is slated for Dec 9, 2026 in Florence, Kentucky, while its Nutrinova stake sale should conclude in the fourth quarter of 2026. Conference calls from Chemours and Huntsman both take place Nov 3, 2026, and Chemours projects fourth-quarter net sales dropping 5% to 10% from the prior quarter.

Closing of Huntsman's combination is projected for the first quarter of 2027, subject to outstanding approvals. Metallus says its president and COO is set to replace the incumbent chief executive by year-end 2026, and annual shutdown expenses are expected during the fourth quarter.

Cabot's materials named no dated event, though restructuring milestones and its battery materials expansion were flagged for follow-up.