Celanese (NYSE:CE) Trading Down 7.3% – Here’s Why

Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE) shares fell 7.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $49.39 and last traded at $49.1970. 877,968 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 63% from the average session volume of 2,379,445 shares. The stock had previously closed at $53.09.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on CE. Jefferies Financial Group raised Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $86.00 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Celanese from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Celanese from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Celanese from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Celanese from $40.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Celanese presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $59.72.

Celanese Stock Down 5.8%

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $47.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $44.23. The stock has a market cap of $5.48 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.55.

Celanese (NYSE:CE) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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). The company had revenue of $2.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.25 billion. Celanese had a negative net margin of 12.15% and a positive return on equity of 8.75%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.45 EPS. Celanese has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.700-0.850 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Celanese Corporation will post 8.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Celanese Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders 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 (DPR) is presently -1.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Chuck Kyrish bought 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $41.03 per share, with a total value of $205,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 10,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $447,801.42. This trade represents a 84.55% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Celanese

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Celanese by 149.6% in the second quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 1,248,055 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $69,055,000 after buying an additional 747,987 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Celanese during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,171,000. AMG National Trust Bank raised its stake in shares of Celanese by 270.1% in the third quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 70,322 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,959,000 after purchasing an additional 51,322 shares during the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey lifted its holdings in shares of Celanese by 163.8% in the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 42,062 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,327,000 after purchasing an additional 26,120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in Celanese during the third quarter worth $6,057,000. Institutional investors own 98.87% of the company’s stock.

About Celanese

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.