Celanese (NYSE:CE) Stock Price Up 8.3% – Here’s Why

Shares of Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE) rose 8.3% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $55.93 and last traded at $55.39. Approximately 1,085,450 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 55% from the average daily volume of 2,426,449 shares. The stock had previously closed at $51.15.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CE has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Celanese in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 target price for the company. Evercore set a $63.00 price objective on shares of Celanese in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Celanese from $63.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Celanese from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $59.72.

Celanese Stock Up 5.4%

The company has a market cap of $5.90 billion, a PE ratio of -5.09, a P/E/G ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.07. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $44.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

Celanese (NYSE:CE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The basic materials company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by ($0.22). Celanese had a negative net margin of 12.15% and a positive return on equity of 8.75%. The company had revenue of $2.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.45 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Celanese has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.700-0.850 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Celanese Corporation will post 8.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Celanese Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 24th. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Celanese’s dividend payout ratio is presently -1.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Celanese news, CFO Chuck Kyrish purchased 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $41.03 per share, for a total transaction of $205,150.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 10,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $447,801.42. The trade was a 84.55% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Celanese

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Celanese by 55.4% during the 2nd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 623 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the period. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its stake in Celanese by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,399 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Celanese by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,244 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $137,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Celanese by 111.1% during the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 513 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in shares of Celanese by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 22,723 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $961,000 after buying an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. 98.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Celanese Company Profile

Celanese Corporation is a global chemical and specialty materials company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of products serving diverse industries. The company operates through two primary business segments—Engineered Materials and Acetyl Chain—offering solutions that range from high-performance polymers and specialty additives to industrial chemicals and intermediates. Its engineered materials are used in applications such as automotive components, consumer electronics, medical devices and packaging, while its acetyl derivatives find uses in coatings, adhesives, solvents and personal care products.

In the Engineered Materials segment, Celanese produces a variety of high-performance thermoplastics, polyether-block-amide (PEBA) elastomers and functional additives designed to enhance product durability, thermal resistance and sustainability.