Mark Costa on stock performance
From The Middle East conflict has a ‘significant CONSTRAINT’ on plastics, says Eastman Chemical CEO · · Fox Business
“We have great product, great margins, and great ability as a result to raise our prices and hold our demand, I think a lot of investor were concerned maybe we could not keep our prices up with the raw material increase but we can, we're proving it. So no headwind in the raw materials that is misunderstood, commodity part of our portfolio will make a lot of money that will be helpful. We're holding on to our volume in this market context, also upside not sure everyone fully understands, and we have strong cash flow, there is a lot of upside to stock, relative to where it is trading right now.”
On , Mark Costa, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer at Eastman Chemical Co, spoke about stock performance during The Middle East conflict has a ‘significant CONSTRAINT’ on plastics, says Eastman Chemical CEO on Fox Business.
About Mark Costa
Mark Costa, Chairman and CEO of Eastman Chemical, appeared on Fox Business on May 12, 2026, to discuss the impact of the Middle East conflict on global petrochemical markets. Costa stated that the situation in the Middle East is a "severe issue" for manufacturing and the chemicals and plastics sectors, creating a "significant constraint" on supply. He described this as a "net opportunity for earnings growth" for Eastman, citing the company's technology and core operations. Costa said Eastman has raised prices by $500 million in the current quarter on its $9 billion in revenue to keep up with raw material, specialty, and distribution costs. He noted that customers have not pushed back, as the entire industry is raising prices "faster than I have seen in 20 years." Costa added that while price increases may take months to reach consumer products, he is more concerned about a "volume shock" where manufacturers may be unable to produce goods. He expressed confidence that Eastman would improve margins and generate strong cash flow starting in the current quarter.