Celanese to Sell Additional 19% of Nutrinova Stake to Mitsui for $152M

Celanese Corporation CE has agreed to sell an additional stake in its Nutrinova food ingredients joint venture to Mitsui & Co., Ltd. This is aimed at strengthening its balance sheet by reducing debt while also holding an 11% interest in Nutrinova. The sale of an additional 19% of the Nutrinova joint venture will generate $152 million in cash proceeds.

The transaction represents an attractive monetization opportunity for Celanese, as the stake contributed around $4 million of equity earnings in 2025. It will also allow Celanese to continue participating in the food ingredients business.

Celanese plans to use the proceeds to reduce net debt and repay upcoming debt maturities, supporting its goal to achieve $1 billion in divestiture proceeds by the end of 2027.

As part of this transaction, Celanese will temporarily own and operate a diketene production facility in Frankfurt before transferring it to Nutrinova. Mitsui will provide the facility's purchase price and future operating cash requirements, while Celanese will contribute its operational expertise. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.

CE shares have lost 1.3% in the past year against the industry’s 0.9% rise.

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CE’s Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks

CE currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space are Neo Performance Materials Inc. NOPMF, Carpenter Technology Corporation CRS and Avient Corporation AVNT.

While NOPMF currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), CRS and AVNT carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) each. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NOPMF’s 2026 earnings is pinned at $1.4 per share, indicating a 185.71% year-over-year increase. NOPMF’sshares have gained 83.2% over the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CRS’ fiscal 2027 earnings is pegged at $12.92 per share, indicating a rise of 20.07% year over year. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average surprise of 8.39%.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AVNT’s current-year earnings is pinned at $3.2 per share, indicating a 13.48% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average surprise of 3.4%. AVNT’sshares have gained 20.3% over the past year.

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