CC
Chemours Co (CC)·Q2 2025 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Q2 revenue and EPS topped Street: Net sales $1.615B vs $1.567B* and Adjusted EPS $0.58 vs $0.46*, while Adjusted EBITDA rose 22% YoY to $253M; GAAP EPS was a loss due to litigation charges .
Values marked * are from S&P Global. - TSS led upside with Opteon refrigerants +65% YoY and segment EBITDA margin expanding to 35%; TT volumes improved sequentially, while APM price/mix lifted margins; company-wide net loss of $381M reflected New Jersey PFAS settlement accounting .
- Guidance: Q3 EBITDA $175–$195M and sales down 4–6% sequentially; FY25 Adjusted EBITDA cut to $775–$825M (from $825–$950M previously); FY25 sales $5.9–$6.0B; capex ~ $250M; H2 FCF conversion 60–80% .
- Strategic/legal de-risking: Comprehensive New Jersey PFAS settlement (Chemours’ NPV share ≈ $250M) supported by $150M insurance rights and expected release of ~$50M escrow; net leverage 4.7x TTM Adjusted EBITDA with $1.5B liquidity .
“Values retrieved from S&P Global” for any items marked *.
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
What Went Well
- TSS outperformance: “Opteon refrigerants grew 65% YoY… contributing to a 35% adjusted EBITDA margin,” benefiting from the U.S. AIM Act stationary AC transition; Opteon now ~75% of total refrigerants revenue vs 57% a year ago .
- Pricing and portfolio in APM: Higher pricing in high-value applications and SPS Capstone wind-down supported 14% segment EBITDA margin; sequential sales +18% .
- Legal clarity: “Settlement with the State of New Jersey… resolves all statewide environmental claims, including PFAS,” with funding plan via $150M insurance proceeds and ~$50M escrow release through 2030, reducing litigation overhang .
What Went Wrong
- TT margin pressure and ops disruptions: TT price -4% YoY with discrete operational issues (rail service interruption; higher-cost ore consumption), adding ~$15M incremental cost and ~$8M other disruption costs in Q2; Q3 expects another ~$15M ops cost .
- APM outage: Unplanned shutdown at Washington Works due to power outage; Q3 APM EBITDA guided to ~$15M with ~$20M outage costs .
- GAAP loss driven by litigation charges: Net loss of $381M (–$2.54/sh) due to $257M NJ-related charges within SG&A and tax impacts despite better operating performance .
Financial Results
Consolidated summary (YoY and QoQ context; estimates comparison in “Estimates Context”)
Segment performance
TSS product KPIs
Liquidity/Leverage/FCF
Guidance Changes
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- “Our results surpassed our expectations… driven by strong demand for Opteon, volume growth in TT, and favorable pricing in APM… we reached a settlement to comprehensively resolve all statewide environmental claims… in New Jersey.” — CEO Denise Dignam .
- “Opteon refrigerants make up 75% of total refrigerants revenues, up from 57% in the prior year quarter… our YF capacity expansion at Corpus Christi is ahead of target.” — CEO .
- “We’ve had some discrete operational issues [in TT]… rail service interruption… and gaps in operational discipline… actions to rectify are underway.” — CEO .
- “APM’s Washington Works outage… one-time ~$20M impact; Q3 EBITDA ~ $15M.” — CEO/CFO .
- “Q3 consolidated net sales down 4–6% sequentially; Adjusted EBITDA $175–$195M; FY25 Adjusted EBITDA $775–$825M.” — CFO Shane Hostetter .
Q&A Highlights
- Bridging 4Q seasonality vs Q3 guide: ~$35M of TT/APM operational items in Q3 should not repeat in Q4; TSS strength helps offset normal seasonal declines in Q4 .
- TSS sustainability of margins/growth: Management expects run-rate margins >30% but notes competitive dynamics and some raw-material lag; aftermarket “hoarding” in 2025 seen as limited one-time impact .
- TT strategy: Emphasis on lowest-cost production and share gains in fair-trade markets; denies structural shift away from value-over-volume, despite aggressive regional positioning .
- PFAS settlement structure/insurance: $150M upfront via DuPont/Corteva for NJ-related insurance rights; total potential insurance pool ~$750M gross; focused on NJ first . State’s larger “funds” reflect surety/backstop and do not directly add to Chemours’ NPV obligation .
- Capex cadence: ~ $250M in 2025; medium-term capex may tick up modestly but remains disciplined and focused on safety/compliance and targeted growth .
Estimates Context
Note: S&P Global shows “EBITDA” actual 152.0*, which is not directly comparable to Chemours’ Adjusted EBITDA. We anchor EPS and revenue beats on S&P consensus; EBITDA comparison uses company-reported Adjusted EBITDA definition.
Values marked * are from S&P Global.
Implication: Revenue and EPS were above consensus; Street will likely lift 2H run-rate for TSS but trim TT/APM near-term on Q3 outage/disruption guidance.
Q3 consensus snapshots for context: Revenue ~$1,498.0MM*, EPS ~$0.242*, EBITDA ~$183.6MM* vs company guide $175–$195M .
Values marked * are from S&P Global.
Key Takeaways for Investors
- Core demand/mix tailwind remains in TSS: regulatory-driven Opteon transition is powering double-digit growth and >30% margins, supporting multi-quarter earnings resilience .
- TT is a swing factor: sequential volumes improving but pricing and operational reliability are headwinds; management is prioritizing cost/COE actions and sees benefits from China rationalization and anti-dumping measures .
- APM quality-of-earnings improving on price/mix and portfolio actions, but Q3 outage will temporarily depress results; management points to a one-quarter impact .
- FY25 guide reset reduces risk: lowering EBITDA range to $775–$825M and adding Q3 specifics increases transparency; a clean Q4 without one-offs is critical to re-rating .
- Balance sheet/liquidity manageable: $1.5B liquidity and net leverage ~4.7x TTM Adjusted EBITDA; New Jersey settlement structure helps cash-flow visibility through 2030 .
- Emerging AI optionality: Data center liquid cooling partnerships (DataVolt) and Samsung qualification of Opteon 2-phase immersion fluid broaden medium-term growth avenues beyond refrigerants .
- Near-term trading setup: Expect focus on TSS seasonality and confirmation that TT/APM operational issues are transitory; delivery vs Q3 guide and clarity on Q4 run-rate are the next catalysts .
“Values retrieved from S&P Global” for any items marked *.