Are Wall Street Analysts Bullish on Eastman Chemical Stock?
Kingsport, Tennessee-based Eastman Chemical Company (EMN) is a global specialty materials company that produces a range of products found in everyday items. With a market cap of $9.5 billion, the company operates through Additives & Functional Products, Advanced Materials, Chemical Intermediates, and Fibers segments.
Shares of EMN have lagged behind the broader market over the past 52 weeks. EMN stock has tumbled 18.5% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has gained 9.8%. Moreover, shares of EMN are down 10.8% on a YTD basis, compared to SPX’s marginal dip.
Looking closer, Eastman Chemical has also underperformed the Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund’s (XLB) 6.9% drop over the past year and 2.2% rise in 2025.
Eastman Chemical’s stock fell 6.2% in the trading session after it released its mixed Q1 2025 results on Apr. 24. The company reported revenue of $2.3 billion, down marginally year-over-year, as customer inventory destocking in acetate tow products impacted volumes. However, this was largely offset by increased volumes in the Additives & Functional Products and Chemical Intermediates segments. Selling prices rose, primarily driven by cost-pass-through contracts. Adjusted EPS came in at $1.91, up 18.6% from the prior-year quarter and exceeding analysts’ estimate by 1.1%.
Additionally, for the second quarter of 2025, EMN expects adjusted EPS to range between $1.70 and $1.90.
For the current fiscal year 2025, ending in December, analysts expect EMN's adjusted EPS to decline 7.5% year-over-year to $7.30. However, it has a solid earnings surprise history. EMN surpassed the Street's bottom-line estimates for each of the past four quarters.
Among the 16 analysts covering the stock, the consensus rating is a “Moderate Buy.” That’s based on eight “Strong Buy” ratings, two “Moderate Buys,” and six “Holds.”
This configuration is slightly less bullish than a month ago, with nine “Strong Buy” ratings on the stock.
On Apr. 29, Barclays (BCS) analyst Michael Leithead lowered EMN’s price target to $85 while maintaining an “Equal Weight” rating on the stock.
As of writing, Eastman Chemical’s mean price target of $96.88 implies an 18.9% premium to current price levels, while the Street-high target of $125 suggests a staggering 53.4% upside potential.
On the date of publication, Aditya Sarawgi did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.