Is the business good?
How good a business is CE?
Celanese Corporation earns −3.9% on the capital it employs against a 9.0% cost of capital, so growth costs more than it returns.
−3.9%
Return on invested capital · cost of capital 9.0% · 13 points below what the capital costs: growth destroys value
- Operating margin
- −7.7%
Operating margin · Chemicals median −1.7% · 12 months to Q1 2026
- Share count, year on year
- +0.51%
Share count, year on year · flat: no meaningful dilution
- R&D as % of revenue
- 1.3%
R&D as % of revenue
| Year | Operating margin |
|---|---|
| FY2020 | 12% |
| FY2021 | 23% |
| FY2022 | 14% |
| FY2023 | 15% |
| FY2024 | −7.0% |
| FY2025 | −8.2% |
Details›
- Gross margin12 months to Q1 2026
- 21%
- Operating margin12 months to Q1 2026
- −7.7%
- Net margin12 months to Q1 2026
- −12%
- Free cash flow margin
- 9.3%
- R&D as % of revenue
- 1.3%
- Revenue, trailing twelve months
- $9.49B
- Free cash flow, trailing twelve months
- $878M
- Net income, trailing twelve months
- −$1.09B
- Return on invested capitaloperating profit after tax ÷ debt + equity − cash
- −3.9%
Margins, capital and share counts from the statements as filed with the SEC; cash conversion from the cash flow statement.