OREANDA-NEWS. Fitch Ratings has affirmed the Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) and senior unsecured debt ratings of Eastman Chemical Co. (Eastman) at 'BBB', and its Short-Term IDR and commercial paper rating at 'F2'. The Rating Outlook for Eastman is Stable.

The Stable Outlook reflects Fitch's expectation that total debt/EBITDA will be at or below 2.5x by the end of 2018, reflecting Eastman's earnings growth expectations and its debt repayment efforts.