Celanese Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:CE)

Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE) was the target of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors purchased 20,489 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 963% compared to the average daily volume of 1,928 call options.

Celanese Trading Down 7.6%

Shares of NYSE:CE traded down $3.46 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $41.78. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,856,605 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,231,865. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.58 billion, a PE ratio of -4.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.76. Celanese has a 12 month low of $35.13 and a 12 month high of $70.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $48.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $54.00.

Celanese (NYSE:CE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The basic materials company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.23 by $0.22. Celanese had a positive return on equity of 9.92% and a negative net margin of 11.54%.The company had revenue of $2.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.75 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.44 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Celanese has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.750 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Celanese will post 6.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Celanese Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 28th will be given a dividend of $0.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 28th. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Celanese’s payout ratio is currently -1.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CE has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Celanese from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Celanese in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Zacks Research raised shares of Celanese from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Celanese from $72.00 to $58.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Mizuho set a $50.00 target price on shares of Celanese in a report on Wednesday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $65.44.

Institutional Trading of Celanese

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Celanese by 111.1% during the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 513 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new position in Celanese during the third quarter valued at $34,000. Hartford Financial Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Celanese by 350.5% in the fourth quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 901 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 701 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Celanese by 100.0% in the second quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 662 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 331 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Celanese by 175.7% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 896 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 571 shares during the last quarter. 98.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.